


Don't Reach For The Moon

by SailorHeichou



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Businessman!Levi, ENDGAME IS ERERI, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Humor, I promiseee, Jean is a jerk, Levi and Jean are brothers, Levi gets better, Levi is awkward, Levi is kinda a jerk too, Levi's potty mouth, M/M, Pining, Rich! Jean, Rich! Levi, Romance, Sabrina AU, Song Lyrics, been plotting this for a year, cute dates, end game is Ereri, inspired by the 1954 movie Sabrina, links to outfits, links to songs, non-binary hanji, photographer!eren, soooo much pining, stop asking if Jean and Eren end up together, they dont
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-07
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-04-30 09:45:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 57,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5159165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorHeichou/pseuds/SailorHeichou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren Jaeger is the young son of the Ackerman family's chauffeur, Grisha, and he has been in love with Jean all his life. Jean is an idle playboy who has never noticed Eren, much to his and the household staff's dismay. Eren then attends school in Germany, and he returns home as an attractive and sophisticated young man. Jean is quickly drawn to him despite his recent engagement. </p>
<p>Jean's workaholic older brother, Levi, sees this and fears that Jean's imminent engagement may be endangered. If the engagement is broken off, it would ruin a great corporate deal. Levi realizes he can only do one thing to save his merger. He must get Eren to fall in love with him instead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. My Silent Love

**Author's Note:**

> As mentioned in the notes, this was inspired by the 1954 film Sabrina starring Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. The plot will be heavily paralleled to the movie in the first chapter, but as I post new chapters it'll slowly deviate to a plot all my own. 
> 
> This fic has actually been in the works since September of last year, but I've only recently found the means to finish it. I hope I can do this fic justice, as I've been eager to do this one for quite awhile! Hope you guys like it! 
> 
> And if it isn't obvious enough, I don't own the characters or SnK/AoT. All rights reserved to Isayama.

_"Once Upon A Time, on the North Shore of Long Island, some 30 miles from New York, There lived a small boy on a large estate. The estate was very large indeed and had many servants. There were Gardener's to take care of the Gardens and a tree surgeon on a retainer. There was a boatman to take care of the boats, to put them in the water in the spring and scrape their bottoms in the winter._

_There were specialists to take care of the grounds-- The outdoor tennis court and the indoor tennis court, the outdoor swimming pool and the indoor swimming pool-- and there was a man of no particular title who took care of the small pond in the garden for a goldfish named Bean._

_Also on the estate, There was a Chauffeur by the name of Grisha Jaeger, who had been imported from Germany years ago together with a new Maybach. Grisha was a fine Chauffeur of considerable Polish, like the eight cars in his care. And he had a son by the name of Eren._

_It was the Eve of the Annual 6-meter Yacht races, and, as had been traditional on Long Island for the past 30 years, The Ackerman's were giving a party. It never rained on the night of the Ackerman Party. The Ackerman's wouldn't have stood for it._

_There were four Ackerman's in all-- Father, Mother and two sons. Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman married 40 years ago and among their many wedding presents was the Town house in New York and this Estate for weekends. The town house has since been converted into Saks Fifth Avenue._

_Levi Ackerman, the eldest son, graduated from Yale at age 19. He turned a $100 Million Family Business into some serious money. Levi was also on the cover of _TIME_ magazine. His younger brother Jean went through several of the best Eastern Colleges for short periods of time and through several relationships for even shorter periods of time. Jean was young, charming, romantic and full of youthful confidence. He was also in a GAP ad once. _

_Life was pleasant among The Ackerman's, for this was as close to heaven as one could get on Long Island."_

\- ♫ -

Eren, not a day over the age of 18, climbed up into a tall tree overlooking the Ackerman's lush, green yard. There were men dressed in handsome suits and ties and women wearing glittering evening gowns and they all danced to the beautiful music courtesy of the small Orchestra hired by the Ackerman's to play at the party that night.

[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzDwElR7I1Q)

He watched in mild jealousy as his childhood crush of many years now danced with another woman on the beautifully decorated deck. Jean danced in circles around the other couples, whispering into the girl's ear as she giggled much too loudly and obnoxiously for Eren's tastes. He forced himself to look away from the scene, a dull ache in his chest settling as he wanted nothing more than to climb out of the tree and rip Jean away from that other girl's arms. 

'♩ I reach for you like I'd reach for a star worshiping you from afar living with my silent love ♩'

'♩ I'm like a flame dying out in the rain only the ashes remain smoldering like my silent love ♩'

It was nothing new, really. He'd spent years watching Jean dance with other people from that tree; Wishing and imagining that it was him in those arms, having sweet nothings being whispered into his ear, hearing Jean tell him how wonderful he is. It was a fantasy and probably always would be, but he was happy just watching his moon from afar. 

'♩ You go along never dreaming I care, loving somebody somewhere leaving me my silent love ♩'

"Eren." Grisha called sternly from the foot of the tree. "Come down from there, you have to go to your room and finish packing for tomorrow."

Eren reluctantly climbed down from the tree to join his father on solid ground. He gave one last longing glance toward Jean's dancing figure across the yard and he heard his father sigh heavily. He tore his eyes away from Jean and was met with his father's worried expression and warm smile. 

"You can't keep on with this silly crush of yours, Eren." his father cupped his face in his hands and rubbed his cheeks with his thumbs. "It's a good thing you're going away. This will give you a chance to finally get over this Jean business." 

"I know, dad." the young brunet said, bright turquoise eyes trailing down to stare at the lush grass between his toes. 

"I only hope Germany is far enough." his father mumbled before letting his hands that were cupping his son's face fall back at his sides. "Now go finish packing. The plane leaves at noon tomorrow." 

Eren simply nodded and sighed as he started the walk back toward the loft he lived in with his father above the car garage. He cut through one of the gardens, lost in thought as he felt the cool, green grass underneath his bare feet with every step he took. It wasn't until he came to a large archway covered in ivy leaves and vines that he stopped, nearly bumping into the very person he was hoping to avoid. 

Jean rounded the archway, a bottle of champagne in his hand and two glasses tucked away into his back pockets hidden from view with the tail of his waist coat. The brunet stared wide eyed at the older boy as he noticed Eren's presence. Jean smiled when he realized it was only Eren, 

"Oh, it's just you, Eren. I thought it was my brother Levi." Jean said nervously. "Shouldn't you be in bed? It's kinda late to be taking an evening walk." he said with a smirk. 

"I-I'm 18 years old already, Jean! I don't need a bed time anymore." Ereb huffed indignantly.

Jean barked out a laugh, and Eren melted at the sound.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting you're not a little kid anymore." Jean said shaking his head. "Well, goodnight Eren. Don't stay up too late now, you hear?"

The older boy brushed by Eren casually and Eren's eyes followed after Jean's retreating figure, dissappearing behind green shrubbery. He debated if he should follow after the older boy, curious to know just where it was he was going with that champagne and those two glasses. Surely, he was meeting with someone and Eren's jealousy was starting to get the better of him. 

He quietly followed after Jean, ducking behind trees and bushes when he thought Jean would notice his presence but when he wasn't caught, Eren would continue trailing after him through the garden. When Jean arrived at the Tennis courts, Eren stopped following and hid behind a rose bush getting pricked a few times from the thorns but paying no mind as he watched Jean check his surroundings wearily. 

Then he disappeared through the doors of the indoor tennis court and Eren waited only a minute before he was sneaking closer to get a better look inside through a window. He tucked himself away between more ivy leaves and bushes, peeking just so over the window sill. He saw the girl Jean was dancing with earlier standing in the moonlight as it shined off the jewels of her evening gown. 

He felt that dull ache in his chest returning with a vengeance as he watched Jean toast his glass against the girls and they took a sip before wrapping their free hands around each other. Jean pressed his nose into the girls cheek as he whispered in her ear, eliciting more of those obnoxious giggles. They weren't those cute, shy little giggles but the loud, overly bubbly kind of giggles that grated on every one of Eren's nerves. 

He could hear the faint music that was playing in the distance as Jean and the girl started up a slow dance of their own. The lyrics of the song so painfully familiar as it was a song Jean always danced to with his dates. He always asked the orchestra to play it during the party and Eren, unfortunately, knew every word. Although, now they were nothing more than a faint muffled noise in the background as he watched the object of all his affections dance with another. 

Eren forced himself to look away when he saw Jean move to kiss the girl and his lower lip quivered. Eren bit down on it hard enough to draw a bit of blood. Having had enough of watching the love of his life kiss another, Eren rose slightly from his hiding place between the bushes and ivy leaves and turned to walk back toward the garden. The slight breeze hitting his wet cheeks didn't bother him as he slowly walked across the garden, his eyes focused on his bare feet smashing the green grass with every step he took. 

When he reached the archway where he had previously bumped into Jean, Eren was forced to look up from the ground when he heard the sound of shoes scraping against the cobblestone walkway. He was met with piercing silver as Levi Ackerman rounded the archway and stopped when he saw Eren standing in front of him, cheeks wet with tears and eyes slightly red and puffy from crying. Levi quickly took in his disheveled form and Eren swallowed thickly, he wasn't expecting to meet the raven-haired man here of all places. 

"Eren? What are you doing wandering around the garden this late? ... and why were you crying?" Levi asked, shoving a hand into the pocket of his black tailored pants. 

Eren frowned, "I-I was _NOT_ crying!" he used the back of his hand to wipe away the semi-dried tears. 

"Okay, you _weren't_ crying." Levi said sarcastically with a smirk. "Anyway, have you seen my idiot brother anywhere?" 

Levi brought his hand back out of his pocket and with him a brand new, unlit cigarette. He placed the cancer stick between his thin lips and Eren watched in mild amazement as Levi pulled out a silver zippo-lighter and lit the cigarette effortlessly. The older man pocketed his lighter and took a long, satisfying drag. 

"Uh," Eren started dumbly. "N-No. I haven't seen him." the young brunet quickly dropped his eyes to the ground, hoping his answer was believable enough despite the uncertainty in his voice. 

Plus, he was always intimidated by those eyes of Levi's. Since they were children, Eren had always feared looking into those sharp, piercing eyes that were as cold as a silver blade. Perhaps that's why he was so fond of Jean. Unlike his older brother, Jean's eyes were a warm amber color. The two brothers were as different as day and night. 

"Why are you out here so late anyway, Brat?" Levi inquired, leaning casually against the stone archway. 

Eren hesitated to tell him. It's not like he could tell Levi the truth of why he was out in the garden this late at night. 'Oh, I was just out watching Jean make out with a girl from a window like a stalker. No big deal.' Yeah, right. Why not just tell him he has a huge fat crush on his younger brother for the last ten years while he's at it? 

"Um, I was..." Eren paused to think. "...taking a walk! I couldn't sleep so I decided to go see Bean in the garden." 

"A walk?" Levi asked disbelievingly. The brunet simply nodded, never taking his eyes off the grass beneath his feet. 

Levi gave the younger brunet a bored look, obviously not buying his poor excuse. Smoke left his lips as he sighed and decided it wasn't worth trying to probe the young teen, Levi already knew more or less where his brother was and what he was doing so it was pointless torturing Eren. Instead, he changed the subject like the cunning business man that he was. 

"I heard you're going away soon." he prompted. This time the young brunet did look up at him and Levi caught the way the white moonlight reflected in his strangely colored eyes like a kaleidoscope of colors. Green and blue with flecks of gold around the pupil. 

"Yes. My plane leaves tomorrow... at noon." Eren wasn't exactly sure why he told Levi that little detail but he couldn't take it back now. 

"Where will you be going?" the older man asked slowly, as though he were talking to a small child. 

"Germany. I've been accepted into a University there so I'm going to spend the next four years studying in Berlin..." the brunet trailed off, a melancholic tone in his voice. 

Levi whistled in surprise, "Germany? That's a bit far isn't it?" 

"I guess. My dad thinks it'll be good for me so... I suppose it's for the best." Eren said with a sad smile. 

Levi flicked the half finished cigarette to the ground and stomped it out with his shiny black dress shoes. Eren could hear the way his shoe scraped against the cobblestone and he mustered the courage to finally look up at Levi. 

"Well, Good luck with that then." 

Levi turned to walk back toward the party that was still going on behind the mansion but he stopped just before rounding the archway again to turn and look back at Eren one last time. He eyed the young teen up and down and then with an amused smirk on his face, he spoke. 

"And Eren," He called. The Brunet whipped his head up to stare at him quizzically. "You have a branch stuck in your hair." 

Levi turned back and walked away chuckling darkly and Eren was momentarily stunned. He had never seen Levi display such an expression before in the many years that he's known the man. He looked so youthful when he smiled, one would never guess the man was actually 27 years old already. Slightly embarrassed for walking around and making a fool of himself in front of Jean's brother, Eren plucked the branch out of his hair and huffed before he stomped off toward the loft where he was sure his father would be waiting for him.

\- ♫ -

"You remembered to pack your passport?"

"Yes, Dad." Eren said with a sigh. This was the fifth time his father had asked him that question since they left the Ackerman estate that late morning. 

"You know, not everyone is lucky enough to study abroad in Germany for college. I hope you realize this, Eren." His father said fondly. 

"I know, dad. I'm grateful for the opportunity, really I am." 

"Good. I'm glad you're taking this seriously." Grisha let out a wistful sigh as he drove his son to the airport in Mr.Ackerman's BMW. "If your mother were still with us, she'd be so thrilled that you were going to school in Germany. It's where we fell in love, you know?" 

Eren stayed quiet and he let his father reminisce of better days when his mother was still alive. He knew this was the right decision. He knew it was best for him to get as far away from Jean as possible, even though deep down he felt like he was dying knowing he would be gone for four whole years. 

"Eren, I'm not telling you how I think you should live your life, nor am I telling you to marry a humble man like me but I do want you to be happy." His father looked over at him warmly and Eren gave him a halfhearted smile. "Your mother and I had a good life together and we were respected by all our peers. That's all I want for you, son." 

"I know..." Eren mumbled. 

"Don't reach for the moon, my boy. You'll only fall and hurt yourself." 

Eren stared out the spotless window of his father's car and watched the tall buildings and sky scrapers pass him by in a quick blur. He would miss New York, but he would miss something else even more. 

"But I've already fallen..." he said to himself so quietly it was barely even a whisper. 

By the time noon rolled around, Eren was already on the plane to Germany and he forced himself not to look back as he boarded. For if he did, he feared he'd lose whatever resolve he had left to forget about his moon. For it was the moon that he had reached for, and it was the moon that caused his fall.


	2. Gentleman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren is trying to adjust to his life in Berlin while he studies. Then he meets a handsome man by the name of Erwin Smith and things take a turn for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ****Warning!!** Some scenes of Eruren (Erwin/Eren) are going to be mentioned in this chapter. So, if that's not your thing, just let it be known that it is there and unfortunately it is necessary! Gomen in advance!
> 
> This is basically just a look into how Eren is spending his four years in Berlin, studying. Levi, Jean and Grisha are mentioned briefly but this is mainly going to focus on Eren and his life in Berlin. Also, Erwin makes an appearance c': 
> 
> There are going to be several random time skips to speed through Eren's four years in Germany.

**_One Week in Berlin_**

"Eren, for goodness sake, it's only the first week. You can't be over Jean that quickly." Grisha chided into the phone.

"I know but-... Berlin in just so beautiful, I feel like I've completely forgotten him already." 

"Hm." his father hummed incredulously. "How are your classes? Have you made any friends yet?" 

"No, not really. The Professors are a bit strict about talking during lessons so I don't really get much time to socialize during or between classes."

"What about after classes?" 

"...Well, I usually come straight back to the apartment as soon as classes are over." 

Grisha sighed heavily. "Eren, you'll never make any friends with that kind of attitude." 

"It's only the first week, Dad. I promise I'll try and be a little more 'social' once I get used to this new set up. I guess I'm still on New York time. I'll get over it." 

"I hope so, son. Keep in touch, I must be getting back to work now." 

"Bye."

\- ◆ -

****  
_5 Weeks in Berlin_  


"So, you've made some friends?" Grisha asked excitedly. 

"Yeah, Armin and Mikasa. They're both exchange students like me."

"Well? What are they like?" his father pushed. 

"Well, Armin is from England. He's really smart, helps me a lot with my assignments and projects. Mikasa is from California, but she's also half Japanese. She's into a lot of sports and I'm thinking about becoming her work out partner. All this German food is making me fat." 

Grisha couldn't help but smile warmly and shake his head. He was happy that his son was finally trying to socialize a bit instead of wallowing over-

"Oh, dad. How is Jean doing?" 

"..." 

"Dad?" 

"I'm sorry, Eren. I must be going, Levi is calling for me. I'll talk to you again soon, goodnight." 

Grisha hurriedly ended the call and sunk back in the driver's seat as he waited for Levi to come out of the massive sky scraper building with his family name Printed in large chrome letters on the front. Finally, the oldest Ackerman son slipped into the car and sighed as he regarded Grisha with a curt nod that Grisha promptly returned through the rear view mirror. 

Levi was on his cell phone for most of the ride back to the Ackerman estate, discussing business deals and stocks and market numbers. Leaving memos with his secretary and firing or hiring people without batting an eyelash. Grisha was used to these types of drives now and never expected casual small talk from the young business man. That is, until today. 

"What's the news from your son, Jaeger?" Levi asked, his thin eyes focused on a file of papers as he read through them. 

"He still loves him," Grisha said with a sigh before he realized his error.

"Pardon?" Levi asked, flicking his intense eyes up to stare at Grisha in the rear view mirror. 

"I-I mean, he loves his classes, Sir. I just got off the phone with him moments before you arrived. He's really enjoying his time in Berlin." 

Levi stared at Grisha for a moment longer before his eyes flicked back toward the papers he was reading. He said nothing further about the subject, leaving the rest of the car ride home a silent one as usual.

\- ◆ -

**_4 Months in Berlin_ **

"It's starting to get cold here now. I had to break out that coat you got me for Christmas a couple years back now that the temperature has dropped." Eren's voice crackled on the other line. 

"Hmm. I bet Berlin will look absolutely breath taking in a month or so, blanketed in a layer of white snow for miles around." Grisha hummed appreciatively. 

"Armin and Mikasa want to go Ice Skating as soon as the ponds and rivers freeze over with a thick enough layer of ice. I'm also looking forward to the winter break." 

"Eren, you don't know how to Ice Skate." 

"That doesn't mean I can't learn, Dad, geez. There's a first time for everything. If I never try I'll never know." Eren laughed. 

"Well, as long as you're careful. I don't want to have to have my son shipped back to me as a frozen Popsicle." 

Eren laughed a little more loudly and it filled Grisha with joy to hear his son laughing so freely again. Now if only they could get past that one little subject he hated to talk about--

"Dad, what about Jean? Is he doing alright? I heard he might be going to another College soon." 

And there it was. That oh-so tender subject that Grisha always liked to try and avoid at all costs. 

"How did you hear about that, Eren?" 

"Petra wrote to me, Dad. You're not the only one I keep in touch with, you know. Everyone on that staff has been like family to me and you know Petra would never hide anything from me." 

Grisha only sighed, "It's only a rumor, Eren. I can't say for sure if it's the truth or not. I really wish you would just forget about this already." 

Petra came into the kitchen and she lit up with excitement when she saw Grisha was talking on his phone. She knew he only ever talked to Eren on his cell phone so it was pointless trying to lie and throw her off. The ginger haired woman bounced around excitedly despite her age, looking more like an overly-excitable 5 year old than a mature 26 year old. 

"It's Eren!" she whisper-shouted to the two other staff members in the kitchen, Eld and Gunther. They both shot her wide, knowing grins and Grisha only smiled and shook his head at them. 

"Who's there? Are Petra and the others with you?" Eren inquired curiously. 

"Yes, they're standing in the kitchen with me and they all send their love to you." 

Suddenly, the back kitchen door slammed open and in strolled Jean Ackerman in all his arrogance and youthful suave. A crooked grin on his face as he reached for an apple and Petra bounded up to him smiling widely. 

"Good morning, Jean. Eren is calling from Berlin right now. Don't you want to say 'Hi' to him?" the petite woman asked with big eyes. 

"Eh? Eren? What's he doing in Berlin?" Jean asked giving everyone a confused look. 

"He's been in Berlin for the last 5 months, Sir." Eld added. The others nodding along with him. 

"Huh. Well, good for him. Gotta run." and like a flash of lightening, Jean was sprinting back out the rear kitchen door. 

"Dad? Was that Jean I heard just now? Is he there?" Eren's hopeful voice crackled through the receiver.

"...No, uh, no it was only Levi. I'm sorry, son. But duty calls, talk to you soon." 

Grisha quickly ended the call and sighed looking over at the other three bodies in the room who exchanged worried looks with one another. They all truly cared for Eren and they all knew how he felt about Jean Ackerman but they also couldn't understand why Eren himself couldn't see how wrong Jean was for him. That his Moon was nothing more than a cold, space rock floating through the galaxy aimlessly and nothing more.

\- ◆ -

**_1 Year in Berlin_ **

[ (X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fOmk6pUob4)

Eren sat alone at the St. Gaudy Café off Schönhauser Allee and on the corner of Gaudystraße. It was a lovely little Café, and Eren chose a table just outside in the front because despite the cold chill of the evening air, Eren enjoyed the glow of the city lights in the distance. 

He sat quietly, sipping on a hot Caramel Latte as he listened to the buzz of the ever busy Café. Apparently it was pretty popular with tourists or foreigners like himself. The staff spoke good English and their prices were very reasonable. Eren inhaled and sighed, letting the hot puff of carbon dioxide he just released evaporate into the late evening air. 

His mind was still pre-occupied most times with Jean and by now, he'd gotten used to the fact that no matter what he did, no matter how much time he spent studying, hanging out with friends, going to parties downtown, visiting art shows and what not, Jean was always there in the back of his mind haunting him like a nameless face. 

He heard a soft cough and a clearing of a throat from somewhere very close by to him and he only spared a glance to the table next to his as he cradled his latte in his hands, lips lingering on the rim of the cup as his blue-green eyes met soft, twinkling baby blues. The stranger had a warm smile on his face. A very handsome face now that Eren decided to take a second look at him. 

The man was devilishly handsome, in fact, with golden blond hair messily out of place styled in a neat undercut reminding him of something very military for reasons unknown. The man's eyebrows were a bit on the thick side and Eren took in the muscular, square jawline and the very prominent cheek bones. 

"Good Evening, Eren. I hope I didn't disturb you?" The man's voice was a deep baritone, every word pronounced perfectly as the simple sentence tumbled from his thin lips. 

Eren blinked at him for a moment before realizing that this man was no stranger at all. It was his English Professor at the University he attended. Erwin Smith, was this man's name and unlike his usual neat, perfectly groomed appearance in class, the man sitting in front of Eren looked so much younger and spry sitting under the glow of the city lights in a black pea coat and a pale blue scarf wrapped neatly around his neck.

Eren suddenly remembered that he was being spoken to and he was probably making a huge idiot out of himself right now by not answering his teacher and gawking at him instead. The brunet cleared his throat and broke his eye contact with the older man before he swallowed, 

"Good Evening, Mr.Smith. You didn't disturb me, I'm just a little surprised to see you here of all places." he chanced a glance up at the handsome blond and saw that his warm blue eyes had widened with what looked like slight surprise before the man chuckled softly. It was a deep, warm sound that erupted out of his chest and Eren found himself smiling slightly. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. It's just... do I really seem like the type of man who doesn't enjoy a night out on the town when I'm not grading papers?" he asked once his chuckles silenced. That same warm smile settling back on his face again. 

"Oh, no! I didn't mean it that way, Sir! Uh, I, uh, shit..." Eren fumbled over his words, praying he didn't just offend his English teacher. 

"It's alright, Eren. You can just call me Erwin, if it makes you more comfortable. I understand what you're trying to say. You were surprised to see your Professor of all people outside of the classroom for a change. I guess I don't blame you for your reaction, I'm am dressed down quite a bit compared to how you're used to seeing me in class and I didn't bother much with my hair today." the man admitted with a confident smile that made Eren stifle a laugh. 

"Yes, that's exactly what I meant." Eren set his latte down and turned slightly in his seat to face Erwin with a smile. "So, Erwin. Do you come here often?" 

The blond man smiled and Eren felt his heart flutter just a bit at how the faint dimples in his cheeks could be seen when he grinned, showing off all his perfectly white, straight teeth and that flawlessly clean shaven face of his. 

"Not nearly as often as I should if this is the first time we're running into each other. I've been coming to this Cafe for the better half of five years I suppose. This isn't your first time here either, am I correct?" 

Eren nodded, looking away from his Professor shyly. He never noticed just how handsome Mr.Smith was, then again Eren always took the seats in the back of his class, so it's not exactly like he got the best view of the man since he first started attending his class. 

"You looked a bit troubled earlier. Is there something on your mind?" Erwin asked, genuine interest in his ice blue eyes. 

Eren hesitated to answer at first, before he eventually just smiled and shook his head softly. 

"It's just something stupid." he said with a little laugh. "I've been in Berlin for a year now and I originally came here to study and to hopefully get my mind off of someone back home in New York but..." Eren trailed off as he stared down at his cooling latte. 

"But so far you've had no luck?" Erwin finished for him with an apologetic smile. 

"Not really." 

There was a comfortable silence between the two of them as Erwin mulled over Eren's words and the brunet continued to sip his latte casually until his cup was empty. When he set the cup back down on it's matching white saucer, he heard Erwin stand up from his seat and Eren's eyes went to study the man as he rose. 

Erwin Smith was a very large man. He could practically see the way his muscles rippled underneath the fabric of the dark pea coat and the blond bangs that fell messily in his eyes was being tousled by the cold breeze gently. Indeed, Erwin Smith was a very handsome man. 

Warm, blue eyes met bright Turquoise and the blond man smiled down at him gently. 

"Would you like to go for a walk with me, Eren?" the blond asked politely with that charming smile of his and how could Eren possibly refuse an offer to spend more time with this handsome man? He couldn't. 

"I would love to." the brunet said, returning Erwin's smile as he too stood up from his seat, Erwin taking a few steps toward him until they were side by side and Eren tightened his parka around himself as they started walking down a quiet street of beautiful houses. Erwin and Eren talked as they walked and they kept talking until the sun was long gone from the sky and they got lost in the streets of Berlin uncaring of the time or the weather.

\- ◆ -

**_1 year and 4 months in Berlin_ **

"Hi, Dad. Did you get the pictures I sent you in the mail?" Eren's voice rang clearly through the phone. 

Grisha and some of the other staff in the Kitchen were all gathered around the small table, each eager to ask questions about the pictures he sent them a little less than a week ago. 

"Yes, I'm looking at them as we speak. I have you on speaker so Petra and the others can hear you too. They want to say hello." Grisha said with a smile. 

Petra, Eld and Gunther each greeted Eren loudly and in unison and the brunet's cheerful laughter came through the speaker of the phone and filled the quite kitchen, making the others beam happily at hearing his laughter again. Oluo sucked his teeth loudly in a corner, he was grumbling about how they should be working instead of talking to a brat on the phone. In truth, he was happy to hear from Eren as well. He just never liked to admit it. 

"Eren, you've made so many friends in Berlin! You look like you're having so much fun!" Petra chirped excitedly. 

"Yeah, are you sure you're studying and not just playing around over there?" Gunther teased, earning him a playful elbow nudge from Petra. 

"Oh, I'm doing a little bit of both. The pictures are good though, aren't they? I took most of them myself but one of my friends, Bertholdt is his name, is a Photographer here at school just like me. He took the group pictures." 

"Yes, Eren. They're lovely. Although, I'm curious. Who's this handsome blond guy you're standing with in one of these pictures, hmm?" Petra asked with a giggle. 

"Which blond guy? I'm friends with a lot of blond guys, Petra." Eren retorted with a laugh. 

"Don't play dumb, silly! The tall, blond guy that looks like Captain America! You're standing together in front of The Brandenburg Gate and it's all lit in colorful lights and he's got his arm around your shoulder!" the small red head said impatiently. Curiosity eating away at her. 

"Oh..." Eren said quietly on the other line and the room went silent. Petra was grinning from ear to ear while Eld and Gunther exchanged a knowing look at one another. Grisha looked slightly surprised. 

"Um, that's my English Professor. His name is Erwin Smith. We've... gotten kind of close lately and we invited him to come to the Festival of Lights with us this year."

"Eren, are you dating this man?" Grisha asked with a slight teasing tone in his voice. 

"Would you be mad if I said yes?" Eren asked sheepishly. 

"I knew it!" Petra sang as she bounced in place. Eld and Gunther only shook their head at her childish antics. 

"I don't know if mad would be the word I would use," Grisha mused out loud. "Just how old is this man, Eren?" 

There was pause, "He's 35." then a unison of quiet 'oh's. "But he's really sweet, dad! He's been helping me with some of my courses and we normally just go to a cafe somewhere and talk for hours. He's very caring and very smart and he's really considerate about my feelings..." there was a fond tone in Eren's voice as he trailed off and the others in the room knew that he was probably smiling on the other end of the phone. 

"Well, as long as he respects your wishes. I'm okay with it, besides. It's been a couple of weeks since you've asked about Jean and I have a feeling this Erwin Smith could be the reason for it." Grisha said with a smile. 

"Ah, Jean. I don't even think about him much anymore, you know?" there was a strained tone to Eren's voice and the others knew he was lying but decided not to call him out on it.

"Well, I should go now. Erwin is taking me to a pretty important Charity event he has to attend tonight and it's formal attire only. I still need to get ready, he'll be picking me up in a few hours." 

Petra and the others bid him a heartfelt farewell filled with all their love and then the call was ended. Petra was the first one to say something after the call had ended. 

"I'm surprised he didn't ask how Jean was doing like he always does. Do you think he really is getting over him finally?" she asked no one in particular. 

"Who cares about Jean? He's dating Steve Rogers for crying out loud." Eld said with a smirk. 

"I'll say. At this rate, he might even bring back a husband from Berlin instead." Gunther joked, earning a round of laughs from everyone else. 

Grisha sighed, "He sounds so much happier. I can only hope that it's enough to help him move on."

\- ◆ -

**_2 years and 8 months in Berlin_ **

**_Eren's 20th Birthday_**

Erwin loomed over him on the bed. His large, warm hands trailed up his naked torso lightly tickling the brunet's sides as he shivered at the sensation. Eren felt Erwin's lips pressed to his naval as the older man kissed every inch of his tanned skin softly, slowly, teasingly. 

His mind was hazy with arousal as he threaded his hands through Erwin's soft blond hair, letting it messily settle in his eyes the way he loved to see Erwin in the mornings. The larger man was still wearing his suit jacket and shirt with the black bow tie he had on hung untied around his neck and the top buttons of his crisp white dress shirt were wide open showing off his strong muscular neck and collar bones. 

Eren arched his back into the soft kisses of his lover and rolled his head back as his eyes closed and he relished in the hot, warm touches Erwin was giving him. Each one slowly setting a trail of fire on his skin as he let the older man do as he pleased with him. His mind was foggy and not quite clear, but in the back of his mind one face kept making it's way into his subconscious as Erwin stripped him bare and eventually stripped himself down to join his young lover on the bed sheets. 

Eren tried to shake those thoughts as he let his hands wander and roam all over Erwin's well built body, feeling every dip of his muscles as they rippled while he shifted them around on the bed. Erwin's larger torso nearly covered Eren's as their bare chests pressed together and Erwin kissed him relentlessly, hungrily but not any less tender than before. He kissed him until he was dizzy and Eren moaned his lover's name when he felt Erwin's lips sucking and marking him in a certain part that always had him a whimpering mess.

He treated Eren with such tender and loving care that it almost made Eren cry knowing that despite how much he had come to love Erwin, Jean always somehow managed to make his way into his thoughts even during intimate moments like these with his lover. Eren felt so frustrated as he panted struggling for breath, Erwin's hands working him toward his blissful end as the brunet's hands roamed the broad back of muscles feeling the way Erwin's shoulder blades shifted with his weight as he moved them together in motion. 

Strong hands wrapped around his waist pressing their naked bodies closer together as they both struggled for breath, sweaty bodies, skin sticking to skin and sweet nothings being whispered in the dark quietness of the large bedroom. Eren wanted to be in love with Erwin so desperately, to not have to feel guilty whenever he looked into those warm, blue eyes and said 'I love you' because he knew deep down in his heart, he didn't love Erwin the way the older man loved him.

Eren dug small crescents into the fair skin of Erwin's back as they made love in the older man's bed. The rod-iron frame creaking under their weight but the sound was drowned out by the lustful moans and sweet words being said to the brunet as he came undone at Erwin's fingertips. A moment of complete and utter bliss as his body trembled with exhaustion and fell back against the cool sheets, sated and limp. 

Even during the high of his euphoria induced state of mind, Jean's face, voice, smile floated through his hazy mind and he felt warm tears stain his cheeks against his will. This wasn't the first time he'd cried while making love to Erwin and by now the older man knew how to comfort his younger lover. Pulling the brunet close to him and wrapping him up in his large, muscular arms quite literally kissing his tears away as he planted soft pecks to the tear stained cheeks and ghosted his lips over wet lashes. 

Eren let himself be swallowed in Erwin's warmth, loving the sense of security and safety he felt in the older man's arms, loving the faint smell of cologne and musk that always lingered on Erwin's skin whenever Eren buried his nose into the crook of his neck, loving this amazing man who loved him back but Eren could only give him half of his heart and barely even that. It infuriated him. He hated feeling this way. He wanted nothing more than to stay in these arms, to stay in Berlin with Erwin because he was the happiest he'd ever been, to forget about his old life on Long Island and about the man who would never love him back.

Erwin would love him, protect him, give him everything he'd always wanted out of life. The man was simply perfect-- too perfect in fact and Eren felt so undeserving of such an amazing man. But for tonight, he would be selfish and allow this man to love him, to hold him and kiss him, and for tonight he would try and love this man back with all his heart.

\- ◆ -

**_3 years and 11 months in Berlin_ **

Grisha had just received another letter from Eren with more pictures of a trip he went on to the countryside with Erwin. Eren looked so happy in the pictures with Erwin. A far cry from the love sick boy he was when he left home more than 3 years ago. Grisha could only hope that when he graduated in a month, Eren would come home happier than when he'd left. 

Levi was being driven to the office now. As usual, he had the morning newspaper in his hand and his cell phone pressed to his cheek as he sipped on a coffee. Just before they reached the office, Levi finished up a call with one of their companies Junior partners and he folded the newspaper up neatly catching Grisha's eyes in the rear view mirror. 

"I heard Eren will be graduating soon." the raven-haired man inquired holding Grisha's gaze in the mirror. 

"Yes, sir. He only has a month left to go and then he'll be coming back home, I think." 

"You think? You don't know?" Levi asked with a hint of a smirk playing on his thin lips. 

Grisha chuckled, "Well, if I'm being quite honest Mr. Levi, I'm not so sure if Eren will be coming home after graduation. He's been in a relationship with one of his Professor's in Berlin, you see, and they seem to be getting rather serious. I wouldn't be surprised if Eren told me he won't be coming home this year either, in fact, he sent me some pictures of a trip he took to the German countryside with his lover just recently and he looked quite happy. I don't think I'd have the heart to ask him to come back when he seems better off there." he ended with a thoughtful look. 

Levi was silent at the new information. Grisha was not really sure if he should have said all of that just now but he was truly happy for his only son finding a bit of happiness in Berlin the way he had done with his beloved wife Carla. He only wished Eren would have the same happy ending as he did. Grisha slowed the car to a stop in front of the large sky scraper that was Ackerman Industries and Levi swiftly let himself out of the car before Grisha could step out of the drivers side and open the door for him. 

"That will be all, Jaeger. Pick me up at the usual time." the raven-haired man said, tucking the newspaper under his arm and carrying his briefcase with him as he strutted through the glass automatic doors of the Ackerman building. 

Grisha stayed sitting in the car wondering if he had somehow offended the young raven-haired man in some way and if he did, was it because he mentioned Eren was staying in Berlin? Truly it was a peculiar thing. 

When Grisha got back to the estate, the staff was buzzing about more than usual. Grisha stopped Petra who was rushing off somewhere and he pulled her into the kitchen. 

"Petra, what in the devil's name is going on around here?" 

"Haven't you heard? Jean's Engaged to be married!" Petra squawked. 

"Jean? Jean Ackerman is engaged to be married?" Grisha asked incredulously. 

"Yes! And according to my sources, it was all set up behind his back by Levi and his parents! The person he's engaged to is the son of the Bodt family! They own the largest Electronics company in the country right now and Levi is hoping to sign a merger with them!" 

Grisha sighed, not so much worried about the fact that Jean is getting married but about the fact that if Eren knew, he'd try coming back to New York for sure to stop Jean from getting married. 

"Petra, please. Do me a favor and do not mention this to Eren, not a single word. He's finally happy in Berlin with Erwin and this could ruin all of that." Grisha pleaded with the petite woman who looked at him with wide eyes. 

"But, it's almost been four years. He seems so hung up on Erwin, do you really think hearing about Jean's engagement would have him running back here like the love sick puppy he used to be?" Petra asked. 

"Yes, I do. So please, Petra. Not a word." 

Grisha stormed out of the kitchen leaving behind a very conflicted Petra to her own devices. The smaller red head fiddled with her apron as she paced the kitchen's lengths drowning in her thoughts. She had always told Eren the truth no matter what Grisha told her, so she would feel awful keeping such a big thing like this a secret from him even though she understood where Grisha was coming from. 

She wanted Eren to be happy, of course she did, and she knew Erwin made him happy but... she just couldn't find it in herself to lie to the brunet and that night Petra wrote a letter to Eren telling him everything about Jean and his engagement.

\- ◆ -

**_3 years and 12 months in Berlin_ **

**_Three weeks before Eren graduates and returns to New York City_ **

"I'm sorry, Erwin." Eren said through tear-filled eyes as the brunet lay beneath the older blond. Their clothes disheveled and half hanging off from their earlier heated make out session on Erwin's bed. 

"Eren, please don't. I'm not angry with you, how could I ever be?" the older man said in a soft, reassuring tone as he kissed the brunet's cheeks. 

"... How can you not hate me for what I'm telling you?" Eren did his best, choking back sobs. 

"When you love someone, you only ever want them to be happy. If going back home to Long Island is what you want, then I won't stop you." Erwin said with a sad smile as he gazed into those big, glassy doe eyes of Eren's that he adored. All the emotions Eren was feeling could be seen in those swirls of blue and green. "I'll always care about you, Eren." he whispered so softly it was barely even heard.

Eren couldn't take it anymore and he buried his face in Erwin's strong shoulder, letting his hot tears stain the baby blue button up he was wearing that day. He sobbed loudly and took in Erwin's familiar and comforting scent because the man was still here with him even though Eren told him he was leaving him for someone else. Erwin didn't get angry, he didn't throw him aside the way he could have if he wanted to, he just held Eren in his arms and let him cry. Held the boy that he had fallen in love with so tightly, not wanting to let go for the moment they still had together. 

"I want to stay here in Berlin with you. I want to go on trips to the countryside again and spend the night under the stars like we did that night. I want _you_ , Erwin." Eren's muffled voice sobbed as he balled his fists into the material of Erwin's shirt. 

The older blond only smiled as a single tear rolled down his cheek, "We can't always have what we want." he said softly, threading his fingers through the long chocolate locks he'd come to love so dearly. 

Eren's sobs eventually subsided and the brunet boy pulled away slightly to look in his lover's eyes, not caring that his were probably red and puffy from all his crying. He cupped Erwin's face in his hands and brushed their lips together softly never once breaking the eye contact they held between each other. 

"Kiss me, Erwin. Make love to me tonight. I don't ever want to forget this--to forget you." Eren whispered hoarsely against Erwin's soft lips. 

And as much as Erwin knew it would hurt the both of them, he couldn't deny wanting to have Eren one last time. To taste his skin one more time and to give him pleasure while receiving his own. To watch Eren come undone by his hands one last time. He kissed the brunet with such a force that it knocked them both back onto the mattress with Erwin hovering over his younger lover as their lips smacked together loudly and tears rolled from Eren's shut eyes. Erwin swallowed his choked sobs and strangled moans. 

That night, Eren said goodbye to his lover of the last 2 and a half years and he walked out of Erwin's apartment for the last time daring not to look back once as he slowly made his way back to the apartment he shared with Mikasa and Armin. He would always be grateful to Erwin Smith, for teaching him that life really could go on without the one you love by your side. That he didn't need to reach for the Moon when the Moon could just as easily reach for him.

\- ◆ -

**_Four years in Berlin_ **

**_One day before Eren returns to New York City_**

"So, you've decided to come back then?" his father's voice sounded from the other end of the receiver. 

"Yes. I miss Long Island, and I miss Petra and the others. As much as I love Berlin, I think going home would be good for me." Eren said as he pressed the cell phone to his ear with his shoulder while he leaned against the door frame leading to the out door balcony of his shared apartment with Armin and Mikasa. 

"If that's what you truly want, Eren. Then do you want me to pick you up at the airport tomorrow?" 

"No, you don't have to. I'll just take the Long Island railroad and you can meet me at the station at 4:15." Eren paused and the chuckled softly. "Don't freak out if you don't recognize me right away. I have changed a lot since I came here you know? You'd probably think I'm an entirely different person." 

He heard his father laugh and it filled him with joy to hear it after such a long time. He wanted to be home now more than anything, and not just because of Jean but because he truly did miss all his friends at home. He'd miss Armin and Mikasa terribly, of course, but the three of them promised to visit each other on holidays and talk as often as they could via skype and phone calls. They would never truly lose touch with one another. 

"I understand. I'll be at the Glen Cove Station by 4 o clock then. Have a safe trip, Eren and call me when your plane lands in New York." 

"Okay, Dad. See you tomorrow, Auf Wiedersehen." 

Eren hung up and looked outside his window. It was late at night now and he could hear the sounds of Berlin's night life buzzing in the distance. How he'd miss this sound once he was home. New York was known as the city that never sleeps, but Long Island was much quieter in comparison. He would miss Berlin, he would miss Germany in general. Eren was happiest in Berlin, and even though he was born and raised in America, Berlin would always be his home town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanna mention that the first couple of chapters were written just over a year ago. I just did some quick editing, but if any of you notice a change in the writing style in the following chapters, it's because those are the recently written chapters. It's probably not THAT noticeable but my writing style has changed since a year ago, and I just want to let it be known that I'm not entirely happy with some things in the first couple of chapters but I was too lazy to re-write them from scratch, so, yeah. Laziness wins!


	3. Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean and Levi have a talk between brothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like this scene for several reasons. This part was actually the first part in a much longer chapter, but since I decided to rewrite it, I kept this one scene, edited some shit and posted it because it's 3:25 AM here in Texas and I'm tired as fuck.

"Is my brother in his office? I need to talk to him." 

"Oh, I'm sorry Jean boy! But your brother is busy at the moment. He has an appointment open at 3:30 pm if you want me to set that up for ya?" 

"Screw the appointment! Look Hanji, I need to talk to my brother and I need to talk to him _now!_ "

"Weeeeell, since you asked _so_ nicely~ But don't blame me if you get your head chewed off by the Short and the Furious. He's in a meeting with the Lawyers about the new merger deal, so, he's not gonna be happy~" 

"Thanks. I'll owe you one." 

"Oh, Jean. If I had a dollar for every time I heard you tell me that, I'd be as rich as Levi!" 

Hanji buzzed the younger Ackerman boy into Levi's large, spacious office, the automatic doors sliding open for him as he stormed in with a newspaper tucked under his arm. 

Levi looked up from the large conference table occupied with five other people, all with suits and briefcases, looking very stuffy and professional. Just the kind of people Jean imagined his brother dealt with on a daily basis. 

"I want to talk to you, Levi." Jean spat. 

Levi simply gave him an irritated look. His sharp silver eyes clashing with vibrant Amber as the two brother's stared at each for a long moment; a silent battle going on between the two as the tension hung in the air thickly.

"Ask Hanji for an appointment. I'm busy right now." 

"Don't give me that appointment shit! We're going to talk _now_." 

Levi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated by his brother's lack of restraint. Jean had always been like this; hot-headed, easily provoked, and most of all selfish. Always wanting his way or the high way. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me. I have to deal with this. We'll continue this meeting in 20 minutes." 

Levi waited to deal with Jean until the lawyers were out of the room. They filed out of his office one by one in orderly fashion, until the last one walked out and the automatic doors shut behind them. Levi swiveled in his seat to face his brother who was scowling at him fiercely, eyes narrowed and a deep frown on his long face. 

"Now, is something bothering you, my dear little brother?" Levi patronized, the corner of his lips twitching upward into a faint smirk. 

"Cut the bullshit, Levi. How the hell did _this_ end up in the paper?" 

"How did _what_ end up in the paper?" 

Jean rounded the large conference table and slammed the folded newspaper that had been tucked under his arm down on the desk in front of his brother. His finger pointed to the society columns where a headline with his name printed in bold read;

> _" It looks like Wedding Bells for **Jean Ackerman**. The lucky Bachelor is **Marco Bodt** of The Bodt Electronics empire. Bodt stocks soars on speculations of Ackerman Merger in the near future." _

Levi snorted after reading the headline. Word sure did get around fast, then again, things never stayed a secret for long in this company. Especially when it came to his brother Jean.

"Well, Congratulations. When's the Wedding?" 

"Don't try to play innocent! You planted this didn't you?" 

"Who? Me?" Levi asked innocently. "Well, I thought it was common knowledge about you and Marco. You did say you were crazy about him, didn't you?" 

"I say that about a lot of people I date, Levi." 

"You can say that again." The older Ackerman said with a roll of his eyes. "Look, Jean. Marco is a nice guy, and he seems to actually like you for some reason, and you said so yourself that you liked him. I don't see what the fucking problem is." 

"The _problem_ is, you've practically been pushing me into this relationship with Marco since we met and Mother's birthday party last year! Just so you could engineer a merger with Bodt Electronics!" 

"Pushing you?" Levi scoffed. "Let's go back a couple of months, shall we? The night you were going to bring Marco over for dinner at the mansion. You came up to me, pulled me aside, practically _begged_ me to help you look good in front of this guy because ,and I quote, " He's not like all the others. He's special." Why, I could burn in hell for all the lies I told about you." 

"Who asked you to lie!? I just asked you to-"

" _'Talk about my accomplishments'_ , you said. _'My qualities. Be creative. _Lie_ '_, you said." Levi interjected, fixing his brother with a fierce glare that had him recoiling back a bit as if Levi's glare could physically harm him. "Am I missing anything here, dear brother of mine?" 

Jean was rendered speechless as his mouth dropped and hung open. Levi was right. He did beg him to lie and make him look good in front of Marco because it was true-- He did like him more than any of the other people he'd dated in the past and he even liked him enough to call him again after the first date. But, now they were suddenly engaged and Jean wasn't sure if he was ready for that kind of commitment. 

"I'm not ready to take care of a spouse, Levi." 

"Marco is a Millionaire, Jean. He won't be a burden. In fact, you don't deserve him but he appears to care about you. Hell only knows why." 

"Shouldn't that worry you though? I mean, you _know_ me. I'm a dog, Levi. I'm scum and I've been spurned by every one of my ex-lovers."

"What do you expect me to do, Jean? Disqualify myself from a billion-dollar merger because my idiot brother can't keep it in his pants?" 

"Look, Levi, get this straight. I have no intention of marrying _ANYONE_. Not even Marco Bodt!" 

Levi leaned over his desk, locking his fingers together in front of him and fixing Jean with one of his best glares. He noticed the way his younger sibling gulped loudly. "No one in the world has a flat panel screen the size of fucking Texas except for Mr. Bodt of Bodt Electronics. And, the damn thing is indestructible. He's sitting on the hottest technology in town and everyone on Wall street knows it. We've got so much damn competition on this merger, I'd be a fucking idiot not to snatch up this opportunity for our Company." 

"Wait a minute, Levi. So, I'm supposed to be some kind of human sacrifice offered up on the alter of Industrial Progress, is that it?"

"Well, when you put it that way you make it sound so vulgar. Like the son of the hot dog dynasty were being offered in marriage to the daughter of the fucking mustard king. That would be very narrow minded of you, little brother." Levi said in that patronizing tone of voice again. Jean frowned at him. 

"Yeah, but you forgot one important little detail _Big_ Brother." Jean sneered seeing the way Levi glared daggers at him. "I haven't proposed to Marco and he hasn't said yes." he added confidently with a smirk. 

Levi countered with a smirk of his own. 

"Oh, don't worry. I proposed and Mr. Bodt accepted. Look at it this way, you were probably going to end up proposing to him anyway. I only helped you to make up your mind." 

Jean grumbled quietly to himself as he crossed his arms over his chest and huffed indigently. This was all pretty much set in stone by now. 

"I don't get what all the fucking whining is about. Marco is one of the most eligible bachelors in New York City. A bit on the sweet side, sure, but way too good for the likes of you." 

"Then why don't _YOU_ marry him?" Jean yelled. 

Levi raised his eyebrows in surprise before he threw his head back in a dark laugh. 

"Don't fuck around like that, Jean. We both know what a huge joke that would be." 

"Well, why not? You want to die a dried up old man all alone in a rocking chair with your piles of money the only thing keeping you company?" 

"If I were ever to get married, it would be over before we even got through the first day of the honeymoon." Levi said bitterly. "I'd be unfaithful to my partner every night of my married life with Vice Presidents, Boards of Directors, Slide rule accountants. This office is practically my home. No one would ever understand that." 

"Neither do I! You've got all the money in the world, so what's the urge to get this merger? Power?" 

Levi snorted, "Please. That's become such a dirty word to use. I already have all the power and money I'll ever need but that's besides the point. This is an opportunity for you to do something constructive with your life." 

"But we're talking about _MY_ life here!" 

"Yes and I pay for your life. My life makes your life possible, shit stain." Levi glared at Jean condescendingly. "Who the fuck do you think pays for all those extravagant gifts you send to all your lovers? The fancy 5 Star Restaurant dates, the expensive imported wines, the Yacht parties, the private jet you use to take exotic trips year round? Who pays for your cars? Your designer clothes? The tuition for your college?" 

"I resent that!" Jean protested weakly. 

"So do I." Levi shot back calmly. 

"Look at yourself, Jean. You went to Law school. Never took the damn Bar exam. You went to business school. Ironic, since I can't get you anywhere near the fucking office. You studied languages that you never fucking speak, learned instruments you never play. You have a series of lovers you never see more than twice, if they're lucky. Do you see where I'm going with this?" 

"Yeah? Well, who are you to lecture me on relationships? Your idea of a long-term relationship is giving your date a chance to order Dessert after the main course." Jean retorted bitterly. 

"I don't have time for dessert. I'm too damn busy running this fucking company. You're a grown man, Jean. Do something right for once in your life and fucking finish something."

Jean gave his brother a despondent look before he eventually sighed. There was no way he could convince Levi to take back this marriage proposal. If there was one thing to fear about Levi, other than his glare, it was his cunning mind for business. He could play anyone like a fine tuned fiddle and have them marching to his beat in no time at all and Jean was now his newest victim. 

"I guess there's no arguing about it, huh?" Jean said quietly. "Fine, whatever. I'll go through with the engagement and marry Marco." he grumbled. 

Levi put on a sickeningly polite smile that Jean knew all too well was his well practiced 'Business Smile' that he used whenever He was about to close a deal. It was unsettling to see his emotionless, impassive brother showing any other kind of expression except for boredom and he felt a shiver run down his spine. 

"I think you'll be very happy, Jean." 

Jean let out a small whimper as he smiled weakly and nodded before he turned to leave his brother's office. Hanji, his brother's crazy Secretary, was smiling at him as he trudged out of the office dragging his feet a bit. He ignored the cheerful farewell she bid him and he continued his crestfallen walk back toward his fancy sports car parked haphazardly in front of the building.


	4. Isn't it Romantic?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren returns from Berlin and causes quite a stir at the Annual Ackerman Estate party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be more movie Parallels in this chapter, but for the most part, I'll be writing majority of it from scratch. Some of you who've seen the movie Sabrina might think I'm cutting out a pretty important scene, but in this case, I just didn't have any desire to write that Train station scene, nor the car scene between Sabrina and David. 
> 
> Thus! This chapter will pick up immediately at the Ackerman Estate Party!

Eren arrived home much later than he'd expected. His father had been late picking him up from the station, but he couldn't really blame him at all. Grisha was a man who always put his job before anything and he'd had to drive Mrs. Ackerman to the hairdresser that late afternoon. By the time Eren arrived back at the familiar mansion with it's stone walls and ivy covered gardens, it was nearly 6 pm and he'd immediately been tackled by a familiar short red-head upon arriving at the garage. 

"Eren!" Petra quite literally cried as she hugged him tightly. "Oh, little Eren! Just look at you!" the smaller woman pulled herself away long enough to take in Eren's new appearance. "You've come home such a handsome young man! Oh! Just wait until everyone else sees you!" she gushed. 

Eren couldn't help but beam in response, "Thank you, Petra. Actually, I contemplated having my hair cut before coming back home but my roommates told me not to." he ran a hand through his long, chestnut hair pushing some stray strands back. His hair wasn't as long as his father's but it was long enough for him to be able to pull it back into a short little ponytail. Today, though, he'd simply left it wind-swept. 

"No, no! It looks nice like that! Don't change a thing about the way you look." 

"We agree." a unison of voices said from the back kitchen door. 

Looking up, Eren saw the rest of the household staff who he'd grown up knowing as family by now. Eld was leaning against the white door frame, Gunther standing stiffly at his side, both smiling fondly at him. Oluo was frowning, peeking over Gunther's shoulder to side-eye the brunet. Finally, Eren was home.

The reunion with the household staff didn't last long, as Grisha soon beckoned his son up to his old room above the garage. Eren was glad to be home on Long Island again, but even he would admit that somewhere in the back of his mind, he still wondered about certain people back in Berlin. The place where he'd found himself. 

"Eren, there's something I must tell you." Grisha suddenly announced with a grim expression. All excited, giddy talks of memories in Germany ceased as Eren gave his Father his full attention. "Jean's getting married in a few weeks, you see." 

Grisha waited for the outraged reaction he'd been expecting, or possibly seeing his son with a very crestfallen look of heartbreak on his face, but when he only saw Eren beam back at him, he breathed a sigh of relief. 

"I know. Petra called and told me about it last month." 

"Then... you don't care?" Grisha asked, hope filling his voice.

"Not really," Eren shrugged. "Besides, Jean's not married just yet." 

"Eren," Grisha warned sternly. "I don't like this. I don't like it at all. Why couldn't you have stayed in Berlin with Erwin? You seemed so happy there with him." 

"Things change, Dad. I've changed." Eren said with a rueful smile at the mention of his ex-lover. 

"Nothing changed, Eren." his father sighed. "Jean Ackerman is still Jean Ackerman, and you're _still_ reaching for the Moon." 

At this, Eren shook his head with a laugh. 

"No, Dad. Don't you see? I won't be the one who's reaching for the Moon. This time, The Moon will be reaching for me."

\- -

That evening, without telling anyone, Eren threw on his best formal evening wear. Black on black suit and tie, a pair of silver cufflinks Erwin had bought him as a gift for their first anniversary together, and his hair had been messily pushed and gelled back with just the right strands falling out of place. With a light spritz of cologne here and there, Eren looked himself over in the mirror in his bedroom before approving his own appearance.

Tonight was Jean's engagement party, and Eren planned to be there. And he fully intended on getting that dance he'd always wanted. No exceptions. 

His father had long since gone to bed, relieved of his Chauffeur duties for the night. Eren smiled fondly as he passed by his father's bedroom door. Heavy snoring could be heard from the other side. He mentally apologized for what he was about to do tonight, but it was all for the sake of getting something he'd wanted all his life. He knew he was being extremely selfish, but just had to know if he'd ever be able to be noticed by the one person who was not only his Moon but had been his entire world since he was a boy. 

Despite all his earlier bravado as he left the loft over the garage, as Eren neared the garden where the party was taking place, his heart pounded in his chest. He tried to tell himself it wasn't because of nerves. He'd matured since the last time he'd been here. No longer was he the moonstruck teenager who used to hide up in oak trees and watch his beloved from afar. He was a sophisticated young man who'd attended charity balls with a man easily more handsome and refined than Jean Ackerman. He'd danced with the elites and the rich before and he knew how to act around this sort of crowd. It was all thanks to Erwin, of course. Eren found comfort in the thought that if Erwin were with him now, by his side, he'd no doubt have one of his strong hands placed on the small of Eren's back, whispering gentle reassuring words to him. 

It was with that thought in mind, that Eren was finally able to make that transition between his place in the real world and Jean's glittering, glamorous lifestyle among the rich and famous. Making his grand debut, Eren kept his head held high, an easy smile on his lips as he strolled casually among other men and women all dressed in their finest designer clothing with glittering jewels and sparkling champagne in glasses. 

He could feel eyes on him as he mingled, greeting strangers with a polite and charming smile and an easy "Good Evening." before he was moving on. He snatched up a glass of his own champagne, noticing the waiter to be none other than Oluo. The older man looked at him with a shocked expression, mouth hanging ajar. Eren simply grinned back at him, winked and went about his merry way. Nothing was going to stop him from looking for Jean and getting a dance with him. Nothing at all. 

Eren noticed the way people seemed to be staring at him in awe as he walked around that oh-so-familiar garden. Eventually, he came to a stop by an extravagant stone fountain, leaning against the edge of it casually with one hand in his pocket and the other holding the flute of his glass gracefully. It was a position he'd practiced while mingling the charity balls Erwin took him to in Berlin, when the blond man was forced to be away from his date for long periods of time. This, of course, always meant that Eren was presumed to be alone at such events and thus, he was quite often crowded by other singletons asking him for a dance. 

Such was the situation now. A trio of men approached him first, smiling easily as they came up to him before asking him who he was and why he was all alone. Then a couple of women squeezed their way in, batting their pretty lashes at him and doing their best to flirt. Eren wouldn't lie; he enjoyed the attention. It was something he never dreamed could ever happen to him, yet here he was, being asked by a handful of people to dance with him. He thanked whatever divine being was out there for having let Armin teach him the proper way to dance at formal events. Otherwise, he'd be pretty screwed. 

Eren smiled and chatted and politely refused any offers to dance but that didn't seem to deter anyone that was crowding him. They all stuck by him even after being rejected, clearly wanting to get to know the mysterious man in all black at a black and white party. He knew he stuck out like a sore thumb, but that was kind of the point. There was no way Jean wouldn't recognize him now--

"Well, hello, beautiful." a voice that had Eren's heart skipping a beat said from somewhere in the small crowd of people that surrounded him.

Teal eyes searched for the source of that voice, finding it when Jean forced his way through the crowd. He was wearing a white evening jacket, with a black bow tie, and he was just as youthful looking and charming as Eren had remembered him being. In fact, it was safe to say that Jean hadn't changed very much at all. Eren on the other hand? Well, he'd finally caught up in height with him it seemed. 

"Hi," Eren greeted, doing his best not to show how excited and nervous he really was. He took a sip of the champagne from his glass, hoping the alcohol would help calm him down. 

Jean shot a look at all the other party-goers surrounding Eren. His warm brown eyes seeming to tell the others than he was staking his claim on this one, resulting in the small crowd that had formed around Eren to slowly disperse.

"I don't think I've ever seen you at one of our parties before." Jean said smoothly, eyeing Eren up and down openly. 

"This is my first time attending one of your parties." Eren decided to play along, liking the idea of Jean not immediately knowing who he was. This could be a fun little game. 

"Really? That's strange. I know this will probably sound so cliche but I feel like I know you from somewhere." 

Eren kept his gaze on everything but Jean, knowing that if he stared, Jean would know exactly who he was. Eren didn't want to brag or sound narcissistic, but he'd always been told that his eyes were the most unique thing about him, and there was no doubt in his mind that Jean would recognize his strange eye color.

"You don't say?" Eren hummed, an amused grin on his face. "Well, I know you." 

"Oh?" Jean sang, moving a little closer to Eren. "Do tell."

"You're Jean Kirstein Ackerman, youngest son of the Ackerman family. Your birthday is in April, and your zodiac sign is Aries. You're an exceptional polo player and you did a G.A.P. ad once." 

Jean seemed pleasantly surprise with Eren's listing of him, even laughing a bit. 

"Well, so, you do know me. But unfortunately, I don't know you. So, how about we go somewhere a little more private and get to know each other much, much better?" The youngest Ackerman whispered. 

"Hm," Eren pretended to think about it. "Let me guess. You're going to ask me to meet you in the Solarium or the indoor tennis court. Then you'll bring two glasses and a bottle of champagne and we'll dance to 'Isn't it Romantic?'." 

Jean opened his mouth to say something, thought nothing came out. He narrowed his eyes at Eren, who was grinning like the cat who got the cream. 

"Have we ever...?" Jean trailed off, not sure if he wanted to finish that question. 

"No," Eren immediately supplied. "Not with me. But, you'd be surprised how much a young teenage boy sees when he's hiding in oak trees." 

The youngest Ackerman seemed puzzled by that last statement. Brows furrowing in confusing as he tried putting the pieces together. Eren simply stayed quiet, sipping his champagne and waiting for Jean to have his 'Epiphany'. It never came, however. 

"Good Evening, Eren." a smooth, deep voice said from his other side causing the brunet to startle slightly. "I see you're finally back from Berlin." 

Turning wide startled eyes toward the source of the voice, Eren was met with familiar piercing greys and immediately he was swallowing nervously. Levi was standing there, arms crossed tightly over his chest looking every bit of the serious businessman. He was wearing all a black Chanel tux with a deep navy blue button up and a black bow tie. Truly unconventional, especially being that this was a black and white event. Levi, like Jean, hadn't changed very much at all. Except, perhaps, that he looked a bit older. The bags under his eyes slightly more prominent and his neck being thicker with muscle. 

"Hello, Levi." Eren greeted back quietly. It figures that Levi would ruin his night. 

"Eren?" Jean scoffed. He seemed a little slow on the uptake. 

"When did you get back?" Levi ignored his idiotic brother, opting instead to focus on the brunet who was avoiding eye contact with him at all costs. 

"Earlier this evening."

"Hn," cool grey eyes shifted toward Jean who still seemed to be slowly catching up on the whole situation. Then Levi rolled his eyes and decided to save Jean the trouble. "Eren has been in Berlin the last four years, genius." 

Finally, Jean snapped. "Eren!? The same Eren that used to whip around corners every time he saw me coming? Little Eren with his knees always painted in grease stains and oil?! _THAT_ Eren!?" 

"There it is." Levi smirked. "Well, Eren, you look very nice tonight. Very mature and grown up."

Eren couldn't help it, he felt his cheeks heat slightly at Levi's compliment. It was so unlike the older Ackerman to compliment anything, let alone his Chauffeur's son.

"Thank you." Eren mumbled. 

"I have to wonder, though, what it is you're doing here despite this being invited guests only." Levi mused. He took up a similar position to Jean's on the opposite side of Eren, sandwiching the brunet between the two brothers of extremely different heights. Not awkward in the least. 

Jean still seemed a little dumbfounded and confused but he was quick to counter Levi's musings. 

"Oh, come on, Levi. Let Eren stay and enjoy himself. He's already all dressed up and obviously we can't just send him away without letting him dance first." 

Eren simply continued to quietly sip his champagne, wondering if he could somehow slip away without being seen. This truly was a bad idea in the end. He had nearly forgotten that Levi would most likely be here at the party as well. 

"Jean," Levi stressed. "In case you've forgotten, this party is being thrown in your and Marco's honor. It's a fucking engagement party. _Your_ engagement party. How would that look to your future in-law's and all the other guests here who just so happen to be partners with our company, if you're seen dancing with some good-looking stranger while your Fiance is out of town?" 

Eren suddenly became very uncomfortable. "Um, maybe I should--"

"So?" Jean protested rather loudly. "I've danced with several other men and women at this party? Why should Eren be any different?" 

"You're not getting the point I'm trying to make, idiot." 

"Look, I really think I should just go." Eren finally reached his limit of awkward and uncomfortable for the night and shot away from the fountain, abandoning his champagne glass. "Goodnight." 

He did his best to leave the party as quickly as possible, flashing a strained smile at people who tried to stop him for a dance on his way out. This was a bad idea. Such a bad, bad, stupid, idea. He should have known better, really. Jean was engaged for crying out loud. Eren was a little frightened with himself. Had he actually considered breaking up a possibly happy couple for the sake of his own childhood crush? Apparently, he had. Eren would admit, he was a bit angry with himself. His mother and father raised him better than that and here he was, about to become some kind of shameless homewrecker. Eren was only glad Levi had been there to ruin his original plan. 

"Don't be in a such rush to leave, Brat." Levi's voice, along with a firm hand on his wrist tugging him back stopped him from advancing any further. 

"Wha--" Eren was suddenly pulling into an easy waltz, a strong, muscular body pressed up against his and an even stronger arm wrapped around his waist. "L-Levi, what are you doing?" 

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm giving you the dance you wanted." Levi slipped one of his own pale hands into Eren's and began leading the brunet effortlessly. 

Once Eren had gotten over the shock, he started swaying in tune with Levi, letting him lead him through some song the orchestra was playing. It wasn't a song he recognized at all. 

"This is weird." Eren chuckled nervously. He hesitantly placed his free hand on one of Levi's shoulders. Very weird. 

"What is?" Levi asked. 

"This." Eren tried shrugging. "You, dancing. I never took you as the type to dance at parties. Or ever, really." 

"Sure, I dance all the time. At the office, they call me bojangles." 

Levi could feel Eren's breathy laugh against the skin of his neck, as well as feel the rumble of it in his chest. Despite himself, the businessman felt the corners of his lips twitch upward in amusement. 

"Your sense of humor is terrible." Eren commented. 

"Tell me something I don't already know." Levi snarked back. 

"Okay," Eren challenged. "Did you know... that I've been in love with your brother my entire life?" 

"That's what I call commitment." 

"You don't sound surprised at all." Eren said, a skeptical tone in his voice. 

"Should I be?" Levi stopped their movement to pull away and look at Eren. "You haven't exactly been very subtle about your feelings, Eren. I'm pretty sure anyone that knows you, knows you've had feelings for my brother since we were kids." 

The deep shade of red that Eren's cheeks turned was quite flattering on the brunet, Levi would admit. The barely concealed anger portrayed on Eren's face was also endearing. 

"You could at least act like it's a surprise." 

"Eren," Levi sighed. "Why did you come back to long island?" 

Eren was a little confused by Levi's question, "What do you mean why?" 

"There's nothing here for you, Eren. Jean's engaged, it's too late." 

"Don't you think I know that already?" Eren said, pulling away from Levi's embrace and frowning at the shorter man. "You know, Levi. Sometimes I wonder if you have a heart at all. You can be so cruel." 

The hurt look Eren gave Levi seemed to have an effect on the oldest Ackerman. Seen by anyone who was watching the exchange, when Eren turned and left Levi standing alone on the dance floor. Levi looked slightly shocked and surprised by Eren's harsh words, but deep down Levi knew he was right. Still, the oldest Ackerman shook off whatever guilt he might have felt for a split second and returned to his usual mask of indifference. 

Meanwhile, Eren was making his way toward the garden's exit, feeling frustrated and conflicted.

"Eren! Wait up!" 

The brunet stopped, looking back to see a slightly out of breath Jean power walking to catch up with him. When he finally did, the younger Ackerman grabbed him by the hand and lead him to a dark corner, away from prying eyes and listening ears. 

"Hey, leaving so soon? We haven't even had that dance in the Solarium yet." 

Eren blinked, not really believing what he'd just heard. 

"Y-You wanna dance, with me?" 

"Well, yeah." Jean chuckled. "Oh, Eren. I should have paid more attention to you before you left for Berlin. I don't know what I was thinking."

Jean leaned in a little bit closer to Eren, until their faces were mere inches apart. Eren could smell Jean's minty breath, and feel it fan over his face. They were so close. He could just lean in the rest of the way and kiss those lips he'd always dreamed of kissing. 

"It feels so good to hold you, Eren. So right." 

"Does it?" Eren breathed; a bit lost in Jean's molten eyes. 

"Do you have any idea just how gorgeous you are? You're dazzling."

"Dazzling?" Eren laughed. "Not exactly what I was expecting to hear but okay." 

"You're absolutely transformed and you're back in my life and changing everything." 

Eren couldn't help but swallow nervously, "And you're exactly the same."

Jean laughed again and Eren found himself smiling as well. Never in his life did he ever think he'd be the cause of Jean smiling or even laughing. It was truly a dream come true. 

"Eren, let's go someplace else, huh? Meet me in the Solarium."

It was finally happening. 

"O.K." 

Eren knew it was wrong to want this, especially since Jean was engaged but he just couldn't find it in himself to say no. This was all he'd ever wanted since he was a teenager. He may go to hell for doing this, but Eren was planning on enjoying this night for as long as it would last. Because he knew, deep in his heart, it wouldn't last. Jean would love him for one night, forget about him the next morning, and then he'd be getting married and any memory of Eren tonight would be buried for good. 

But that was okay. This was good enough.

\- -

Levi mingled with people at the party. A glass of scotch in one hand while the other was stuffed in his pant pocket. He conversed with business partners and danced with their handsome sons and daughters. He was playing his part as a good host, although he'd do anything to get out of circulation. He hated parties. Preferring to be back at his office, getting work done. But he tried to tell himself that this party was all for the sake of business. For the sake of his merger with Bodt Electronics. 

That is, if Jean didn't try making a move on Eren while he was currently engaged to the only son of said empire. Now, that simply would not do. It wasn't that Levi had anything against his Chauffeur's son. Quite the contrary, in fact. Levi had always been rather fond of the younger brunet. As a child, Eren often followed the two Ackerman brothers around like a cute little puppy. The little boy with wild brown hair and eyes that sparkled like gemstones. Now, seeing Eren fully grown and clearly in his prime, Levi could see how painfully similar he looked to his late mother. Carla Jaeger was a beauty among beauties, and it was obvious that Eren inherited most of her beauty. It went without saying that Eren could easily be the most desirable young man at this party, and that was what worried him. 

Finally, getting out of circulation, Levi caught a glimpse of a much-too-pleased-with-himself Jean making his way over toward the Champagne table. Now, that was a sight Levi was all too familiar with. It was all too clear that Jean hadn't heeded his warning earlier and was going to meet with Eren in the Solarium anyway. Not on Levi's watch. 

He followed Jean silently, watching as he saw his brother request their finest bottle of Champagne, then how he skillfully stuffed two glass champagne flutes into the back pockets of his trousers. Jean was whistling a cheerful tune, completely oblivious to Levi's presence behind him. That is, until Levi stepped forward and placed a hand on the back of his neck, cupping him firmly. 

"Jean, got a minute?" 

"Levi! Um, not right now, actually. I have an appointment." Jean said with a nervous smile. 

"Sure, you do." Levi said wryly, leading his younger sibling away into a nearby pool house for some privacy. 

Once they were finally in the privacy of the pool house, Levi locked the doors and turned back to see his brother standing there fidgeting. It was reminiscent to when they were children and Jean was getting ready to be scolded by their nanny. 

"Jean," Levi said calmly, taking a step toward his brother who took a step backward in response. "What's wrong with you?" 

"W-What do you mean?" he stuttered. At this point, he wasn't even making direct eye contact with his older brother. Knowing Levi knew exactly what he was planning to do.

"Do I look stupid?" Levi asked, sincerity in his voice. "You know, I never thought of myself as stupid, but maybe I am." 

"I didn't do anything!" Jean immediately confessed. 

"You were planning to." 

"How do you know!? I was just going to have a drink and a dance with an old friend, is that so bad?" 

"You're kidding, right?" the oldest Ackermen released a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Jean, listen to me and listen good. You screw this engagement up with Marco, and I swear I'll kill you."

Jean swallowed loudly, knowing Levi meant every word. 

"I don't know, Levi." he sighed, starting to pace the room back and forth. "There's just something about Eren. I think... I think I might be falling in love with him." 

"Jean, you didn't even realize Eren has been gone for the last four years. Now, all of a sudden he's back and you're claiming you're falling in love with him? After a single conversation?" 

"I don't know, okay!" 

Levi watched as Jean continued to pace faster and faster. His younger brother ran a hand through his undercut, mussing up his hair in the process. Jean truly looked so conflicted, and as an older brother, Levi wasn't completely heartless. At least, not when it came to Eren, anyway. If anybody was bound to get hurt the most out of all of this, it was him, after all. Sure, Levi would lose a billion-dollar merger, but it's not like he couldn't just find the next big business opportunity and move on. Jean would also toss him away once he was bored with him. It was just an inevitable fact. 

"Jean, what do you think Eren wants? He's lived his whole life above the garage, his nose pressed against the glass watching us at parties. Now, you tell him to meet you in the Solarium. He knows you're gonna show up with a bottle of champagne. He knows what's coming... The fancy jet to Martha's vineyard, the cottage full of food and flowers, house seats to some sold-out show. Drinks at the Carlyle. A day or two for that, he'd probably even fall for me." 

"Yeah, right." Jean snorted sardonically. "Are you trying to tell me you're gonna try to sweep Eren off his feet too? Why not just make it a competition, big bro? We both know he's gonna pick me since you're about as sensual and romantic as pencil." 

Alright, Levi would admit. He might have been a little bothered by the idea of Jean suggesting that there was no way in hell Eren could possibly ever fall for Levi, because if he were honest with himself, even he knew he wasn't the most romantic, nor was he an expert in dating. Levi was a fucking businessman. That's what he did for a living. Everything came down to numbers and market prices for him. 

"Sit down, Jean." Levi ordered, gesturing to a lounging chair just behind his younger sibling. 

"Look, I can't about this right now. I have to go." Jean tried to side-step Levi, only to have the older Ackerman grab him firmly by the arm and stop him from advancing any further. 

"I said, sit your ass down." the order came as more of a threat this time and Jean didn't bother going against that request this time. 

Levi watched, as Jean slowly lowered himself into the lounge chair, and then the sound of crunching glass came and Jean's pained scream. Honestly? Levi didn't think Jean was actually stupid enough to forget that he had champagne glasses in his back pockets. That's kind of a hard thing to miss. 

"Something the matter, Jean?" Levi asked, playing the innocent bystander. 

"Champagne glasses. I sat on them." Jean barely managed through clenched teeth. 

Thinking Jean had finally had enough torture for one night, Levi decided he'd better go and find their family physician. If he remembered correctly, he'd last seen them at the bar earlier that evening. If he was lucky, he could still find them. 

"Wait in here, Einstein. I'll go get Dr. Moblit." Levi instructed. 

"Levi, wait! What about Eren? I promised to meet him in the Solarium and he'll be waiting for me." 

Levi lingered by the pool house doors, shooting an exasperated look over his shoulder before he left. 

"Don't worry about Eren. I'll take care of him." 

"That's what worries me." Jean mumbled just as Levi left.

\- -

Eren paced the length of the Solarium, admiring all the different plant-life and the small indoor pond. His heart was racing in his chest, just thinking about when Jean would arrive. They'd finally have that dance he'd always wanted, and if he was really being optimistic, a kiss. 

The sound of clinking glasses drew his attention away from the greenery and toward the double french doors, where he expected to see Jean standing there waiting for him. Instead, he saw none other than Levi Ackerman, dressed similarly in dark colors as he was tonight. The smile that had been on his face dropped immediately.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, none too kindly. 

"Hello, Eren. I have a message from Jean." Levi nonchalantly approached him, holding out a crystal glass for him to take. "He won't be able to make it, I regret to say." 

"You don't look like you're very regretful." Eren commented, taking the offered Champagne glass. He supposed this type of thing was bound to happen eventually. Dancing with Jean was nothing but a silly pipe dream, after all. 

"You're upset." Levi stated. 

"You could tell, huh?" a humorless chuckle left Eren's lips as he turned his back toward Levi and walked toward a stone bench. "Asking is probably pointless, but might I inquire as to why Jean isn't coming?" 

Levi walked closer to Eren, popping the cork to the bottle of champagne with practiced ease before he tilted the bottle to pour himself some and then Eren. All the while, Eren watched Levi carefully. It was like something out of an old mobster movie. Eren was meant to be dealt with. 

"Well, he was on his way here and he got into an accident." Levi elaborated calmly. Cool grey eyes shifted to meet Eren's suspicious glare, "He sat on a champagne flute." 

Eren swallowed thickly, his eyes not being able to hold Levi's gaze as he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. Of course, the guilt was entirely on his part. He felt just a little bit ashamed to be standing in front of Levi in that moment. Knowing how Levi must have been judging him, surely. He'd almost consorted with an engaged man, and Levi knew it. Why else would he be here? 

"He'll be fine." Levi continued after a beat of silence, clearly sensing Eren's change in mood. "Couple of stitches. You'll probably be able to see him tomorrow." 

"You're not... mad?" Eren asked cautiously. 

"Mad? Not at all."

"I almost ruined Jean's entire engagement."

"Is that what you thought?" Levi moved a little close toward Eren. 

"No. I thought you'd been sent to deal with me." 

"Deal with you?" Levi snorted. "This isn't the mob, Eren." 

"So, you're not here to buy me off or something?" the brunet eyed Levi skeptically. 

"Why would I need to do that?" 

"Like... a lawyer in a movie. He goes to the unsuitable waitress, or in my case, Chauffeur's son and says the family is prepared to offer you $100,000 to stay away from their son. 'No,' he says. '$150,000.' 'No...' he says."

"$200,000." Levi offers, taking a seat next to Eren in the process. 

Eren startles slightly and inches away from him. "No." he whispers. 

"A million." the older Ackerman continues to close the gap between them. "No self-respecting lawyer would offer less." 

Eren immediately frowned, dumping his champagne out into a nearby planter while standing up in the process. 

"No self-respecting waitress or Chauffeur's son accept it." 

Levi stared up at Eren for a moment or two, simply taking in the defiant look in his eyes, his defensive stance, like a coiled up snake ready to strike if the need arose. Then, a small smile appeared on his face as he set his own glass of champagne down. 

"Good boy." 

Eren felt his heart swell at the sight of Levi smiling. Even if it was just a tiny one. He'd never seen Levi do anything other than frown or smirk. Always teasing him. Patronizing him. Making him feel small and helpless in his great presence. It was too much, even now. Levi still intimidated him. Eren turned his back to Levi once more as the man stood up to join him. 

"... I thought I was over Jean." 

"Surprise, surprise." Levi muttered sarcastically. 

Smirking, Eren turned around to face him once more. 

"You don't object?" he asked smugly. 

"To you?" Levi scoffed. "Look at you. It's as though a lovely breeze has swept through this stuffy old estate. A little excitement is alright, every once in awhile." 

The brunet rolled his eyes at Levi's obvious snark, "Even though the breeze comes from the general direction of the garage?" 

"It's the 21st century, Eren. Things like that shouldn't matter anymore. For fuck's sake, A Prince of England married a commoner only a few short years ago and it was considered a modern day fairy tale." 

Levi had a very good point, but still, Eren couldn't understand what Levi's motives were. Earlier, he seemed adamant on discouraging Eren from pursuing anything with Jean and now it was like he was giving him the green light. Something was definitely odd. Then, suddenly, the soft intro to 'Isn't it Romantic' began to play and Eren smiled down at the ground sadly. 

"There it is." he mused out loud. [ (X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIpslmgEDe4)

'♩ I've never met you, yet never doubt, dear   
I can't forget you, I've thought you out, dear  
I know your profile, and I know the way you kiss,  
Just the thing I miss on a night like this ♩'

Eren closed his eyes, swaying slightly with the slow tune of the music. It made his heart ache in the best way. Reminding him of the night before he left home for Germany four years ago. 

"They played this song the night before I left for Germany." he laughed softly. 

"They often do play that." Levi said absently, watching Eren as he got lost in the music. 

"Jean was dancing it with someone else." 

Eren had his back facing Levi's again, and the older man took the opportunity to step a little closer toward him. 

"He often does." 

Finally, Levi was standing right behind Eren facing his broad shoulders, admiring the way he seemed to grow in all the right places. His suit jacket fit him like a glove and Levi's eyes followed the back seam down the center.

'♩ If dreams are made of imagination  
I'm not afraid of my own creation  
With all my heart, my heart is here for you to take  
Why should I quake? I'm not awake ♩'

"Tonight, I wanted Jean to be dancing with me." Eren all but whispered. It was said so quietly, that if Levi weren't already standing right behind him, he probably wouldn't have caught it at all. 

Levi cleared his throat, startling Eren into turning around to face him once more. He wasted no time in slipping one arm around Eren's waist while taking the brunet's free hand in his. Eren looked confused at first, but soon, they were both swaying to the song. It was a bit awkward, dancing together like that considering their height difference, but Levi made it work somehow. 

"It's all in the Family." Levi clarified, as though that single sentence was enough to erase all the confusion both in Eren's head and in his heart.

'♩ Isn't it romantic? Music in the night, a dream that can be heard  
Isn't it romantic? Moving shadows write the oldest, magic word  
I hear the breezes playing in the trees above  
While all the world is saying 'You were meant for love' ♩'

It was silly, to suddenly be feeling so strangely dancing with Levi when he'd danced with him earlier that evening as well. But something changed. Something was definitely different. Levi was being kind to him. Well, as kind as Levi could be to anyone. Maybe Eren was just being sentimental. Maybe he was just going insane. But as he danced hand-in-hand with Levi, he felt lighter than air and his heart was pounding away in his chest. The way he always imagined dancing with Jean would be like.

'♩ Isn't it romantic? Merely to be young on such a night as this  
Isn't it romantic? Every note that's sung is like a lover's kiss  
Sweet symbols in the moonlight,   
Do you think that we could fall in love, per chance?  
Isn't it Romance... ♩'

"It's strange. In all those years I watched Jean, I never saw you do this. Meet someone here with champagne." Eren said into Levi's hair, smelling the clean soapy scent that lingered there. 

"That's because I don't." Levi replied. "But, is it so hard to believe that I want to dance with the most gorgeous person at this party?" 

Eren seemed very surprised by Levi's words, pulling away slightly to stare into sharp grey eyes that suddenly seemed less cold and harsh. In fact, Eren would dare say that they were even soft and warm. Two words he never thought he'd ever associate with Levi Ackerman. Ever. 

"Yes, it is hard to believe." his voice trembled and Eren couldn't understand why. He'd also belatedly noticed that they'd suddenly stopped dancing and were now simply standing, holding each other and Levi's face was dangerously close to his. 

"Then, you don't know me very well." Levi was so close, Eren could feel his breath on his face, very similar to how he'd felt Jean's breath earlier except Levi's breath smelled of Champagne and vanilla. "By the way, Jean wanted me to give you this." 

Before Eren could register what Levi had said, a pair of cool lips were pressed to his and he was kissing Levi. It was slow and deep, and full of unspoken words and desires. Honestly, Eren had gotten very caught up in that kiss, seeing as it took him a while to realize just who it was he was kissing and when he finally did, he pulled away and slapped Levi without much thought. 

Levi seemed just as surprised by the slap as Eren had, but was quick to recover. He didn't get angry or upset, in fact, he didn't even flinch from the pain despite the growing red hand-print now on his pale cheek. He flipped his fringe out of his eyes and those guarded grey eyes were back staring Eren down. 

"Thanks. I needed that." he said through gritted teeth. 

Eren just stared back at him, mouth open and eyes wide. He couldn't believe he'd just done that. To fucking Levi Ackerman of all people. 

"Oh, god. What am I doing? I shouldn't have..." 

"No, don't apologize. That was all me." Levi started for the Solarium doors without another word, that is, until he reached said doors. "I think it would be better for you to pick up your messages from Jean in person from now on, Eren. Good night." 

And just like that, Levi was gone and Eren was left standing alone in the Solarium feeling both very flustered and very conflicted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was wayyy longer than I expected it to be. Fucking Levi and Eren kept hi-jacking my fic. I HAD VERY SPECIFIC PLANS FOR THIS CHAPTER, DAMN IT. Oh, well. I'm happy with the last part of this, at least. 
> 
> Enjoy, my fellow Ereri-shippers! It's 2:30 AM and I'm very tired and going to bed~ <3


	5. The Author would like to apologize for being too fucking lazy to title this properly.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean and Levi have another brotherly conversation, meanwhile, Levi reveals his plan to woo Eren to his best friend and Secretary, Hanji.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as the summery states. More brotherly convos between Jean and Levi.   
> Important shit, though.

Later afternoon the following day, Jean heard a set of firm knocks on his bedroom door. 

"Come in." He groaned from his bed.

He heard the sound of the door opening and clicking shut before soft, quick steps were approaching him bedside. 

"How are you feeling?" Levi's voice said from behind him. 

Craning his neck backward painfully, Jean frowned as he took in Levi's surprisingly casual attire. He wasn't going to mention it just yet, however. 

"I've never been better in my life." Jean groused sarcastically. He could feel the bed dip on one side as Levi no doubt sat down next to him. 

"The anesthetic worn off?" without warning, Levi slapped Jean's rear earning him a yelp of pain.

"LEVI!!" 

"Sorry, Jean." Levi chuckled, not sounding the least bit sorry at all. "I guess that's a no." 

Grumbling to himself quietly, Jean shot his brother a weak glare that quickly withered under Levi's intense scrutiny. 

"What happened last night? Was Eren mad because I didn't show up?" 

"Try disappointed." 

"Poor kid," Jean sighed. "What did you tell him?" 

Levi spared Jean a long stare before he looked down at his curled fingers, picking out nonexistent dirt from underneath his nails. 

"The truth-- That there's no way in hell the family will approve of you and him but that you stood up to me like a man-" 

"Oh, good." 

"-And sat down like a jerk." 

Jean groaned again, this time not out of agony but out of regret. 

"Oh... 23 stitches. I'll never drink Champagne again as long as I live." 

"We'll see about that..." Levi mumbled under his breath. 

"But what did you think about him, Levi? About Eren, I mean?"

Levi hesitated as he watched his younger brother's hopeful expression. There was no doubt in his mind that Jean was completely besotted with the idea of possibly having a go with Eren and not having to marry Marco in the end. He needed to nip this problem in the bud, and quickly. 

"He's great." 

"Were you nice to him?" 

"As nice as I could be." at this reply, Jean grimaced and Levi gave a lazy smirk knowing Jean was surely worried. Nice wasn't a word normally associated with Levi Ackerman. 

"Ah, if Eren were only here now." Jean said dreamily. "Hey! There's an idea! How about smuggling him up here for a little visit? I could apologize in person." 

Levi snorted with a roll of his eyes, "That would be a horrible fucking idea. What if Marco suddenly came by and caught you two together? He's back in town, you know, shithead." 

"Right..." the youngest Ackerman deflated. For a brief second, Levi thought maybe his spoiled little brother was finally learning some sense of responsibility. He was wrong. "Levi?"

"What?"

"Could you do me a favor?" 

"Anything for my baby brother." Levi said as sarcastically as possible. 

"I know how things like this bore you, but would you mind keeping an eye on Eren for me? At least until I'm all fixed up." 

This was it. Time for Levi to commence his plan. 

"Oh, I've already thought of that. You see, I'm taking him sailing today." 

"Sailing? You!?" Jean asked, baffled. 

"Don't look so surprised," Levi frowned. "It's not like I've never gone sailing with someone besides the family before. By the way, I'm taking your boat." 

"Wow," Jean mumbled, eyes wide as he stared up at Levi in wonder. "I guess that explains why you're not wearing you're usual suit and tie today." 

"Yes, well, thanks for telling me I look good. You really shouldn't flatter me, Jean. It'll only inflate my already massive ego." the oldest Ackerman snarked. 

"I just feel bad that it's not me taking Eren out sailing today... Hey, do me a favor, huh? When you see Eren, tell him not to worry because soon we'll be off! Just the two of us!" 

Levi didn't like that request. Not at all. 

"So, you've made up your mind? You're going to pick Eren over Marco?" 

"Absolutely! This is it, Levi! It's been Eren and I since childhood, I just couldn't see him for the tree." the youngest Ackerman laughed. "Oh, Eren."

"Yes, well, just hypothetically speaking here, what if Mother decides to cut you off completely for this? It's not like she hasn't threatened you before."

"That's where you'll come in, Levi!" Jean beamed like a child on Christmas morning. 

"Me?" Levi scoffed. 

"Yeah! You'll help me convince her not to cut me off, right?"

The absolute look of trust and hope in Jean's honey brown eyes was enough to make Levi want to smack him. Truly, Jean was a spoiled brat in every way, shape and form but for the sake of his plan working, Levi needed to keep playing his part as the dutiful, reliable older brother. 

"Oh, sure." Levi nodded. "I'm going to help you. Aren't I?" 

Suddenly, there was another knock on the door. This one less firm. Following soon after that knock was a sweet familiar freckled face. Marco Bodt; tall, tan and adorably handsome. In all honestly, Levi liked Marco. And just as this plan was meant to help his brother Jean, it was also meant to save Marco from a world of hurt as well. The young Millionaire didn't deserve to be used by his idiotic, playboy of a younger brother, but, then again even if his plan did succeed; there's no guarantee the marriage would work out either. 

"Jean, I came as soon as your mother told my parents what happened? Are you alright?" the raven-haired man asked as he rushed to Jean's side. Levi decided to stand from the bed and take his leave soon. In substitute for a proper reply to Marco's inquiry, Jean simply groaned and moaned dramatically in pain. What a ham. "Oh, poor baby." Marco cooed, brushing one hand over Jean's forehead and pushed some hair out of his eyes. "I brought you some things. Six books and a game of Scrabble!" 

"Scrabble? Oh, Marco, I'm in no position to play Scrabble." Jean complained loudly. 

"Nonsense," Levi piped up. "That's all you _are_ in a condition to play." he shot Jean and knowing look. One that said 'Keep-your-big-fucking-mouth-shut-about-Eren-and-Let-me-handle-it'. 

"Shall we play three-handed, Levi?" Marco asked politely, smiling at the older Ackerman. 

"No, thanks." Levi refused curtly. "I'm going sailing this evening." 

"Oh! That sounds nice. I hope you have a nice time." 

Levi didn't bother replying to that, instead, he turned and made for the door. As he was about to exit, he spared Jean another glance and noticed the pleading look he sent him on his way out. This made Levi smirk again. 

"So long, baby brother."

\- -

"Hanji, I'm going to stay out here for the next few days. Cancel whatever I've got and reschedule." Levi made his way into the closet of his old bedroom. One he hardly ever used anymore, being that he lived and worked in the city most of the time so why bother making the trip home?

Hanji followed him around the room, bouncing on their heels with a phone and stylus in their hands as they wrote down Levi's instructions dutifully. 

"Ooh~ Sounds serious. Doesn't have anything to do with that Eren kid you told me about, huh?" they asked curiously. 

"Jean wants to run off with him." 

"That sounds so romantic! But, with the Chauffeur's son? Not sure you're mother is gonna like that."

Levi sucked his teeth in annoyance as he sat on the edge of his bed and removed button up shirt. 

"I don't give a fuck if he wants to run off with the Gardner's grandmother. I just don't want him to run off with the merger." he growled. 

"Why not just fire your Chauffeur then? Problem solved, right?" Hanji seemed generally curious as to why Levi didn't just do this. 

"Not after 25 years of service, Hanji. It's not Jaeger's fault his son is a romantic in love with the wrong fucking guy and my idiot brother can't keep it in his pants."

"Why not write Eren a nice fat check? That should help him forget about Jean." 

At that suggestion, Levi sighed. "If only it were that fucking simple. He doesn't want money. He wants Love." 

Levi moved toward his walk-in closet and began browsing through the many suits and button up shirts he had hanging from the racks, searching for something less dressy and more casual. Something he didn't care if it smelled like sea water when he came back from sailing. 

"Hmm. I thought they discontinued that model." Hanji mused, chewing on the end of their stylus. 

"Apparently not," Levi snorted. "The last of the romantics. _L'amour, toujours l'amour._ " 

Hanji seemed frustrated, "It's a shame you can't just make him be in love with someone else, isn't it?" 

At their question, Levi looked back at them and smirked. 

"That's the idea." 

Brown eyes lit up in excitement. Suddenly they were much too close for Levi's comfort. Then again, it was nothing new with Hanji, he was used to them invading his personal space. 

"Ooooh? You've got someone in mind for him? You little devil! When did you suddenly become a matchmaker?" 

"Tch! I'm going to get Eren to fall in love with me, obviously." 

Hanji blinked owlishly at Levi while the shorter man slipped on a casual dark button up, rolling the sleeves up his forearms and revealing well-toned muscle. Then, they outright guffawed at his suggestion. 

"Oh, no! Not _YOU_ , Levi! You haven't had a real date in... years!!" 

He shot them a fierce glare as he walked out of the closet and stood in front of the floor to ceiling mirror in his room. Looking at himself from every angle, Levi frowned upon noticing the tired bags under his eyes and the faint shadows above them as well. 

"Do you think this is any fucking fun for me? I've got a fuck ton of work that I was planning to take care of over the weekend. I was supposed to be in Texas tomorrow. The whole merger has to be set in motion in the next few days and here I am going off on a sail boat to make an ass out of myself with a younger man, twenty-two." pausing to look back at his own reflection, Levi scowled. "Look at me-- Thirty-one-years-old with a touch of arthritis on the side. I wish I were dead with my back broken." he grumbled. 

"True," Hanji hummed. "You've been looking worse-for-wear lately, Boss. But! Music might help you on your 'date' with Eren tonight. Just a helpful thought." 

"Thanks." Levi said with a roll of his eyes. 

"I only hope you remember what to _do_ on a date." Hanji grinned. 

Shooting them another glare from the reflection in the mirror, Levi's frown deepened. 

"It'll come back to me. It's like riding a bicycle. You never forget." 

"But, Levi," Hanji sang. "You never learned how to ride a bike." 

"..." 

It was Hanji's cackling that could be heard through the estate as they ran down the hall from a flurry of miscellaneous things being thrown at them. Levi got his satisfaction when he heard Hanji slip on the freshly polished tile near the upstairs library and fall on their ass. Still, he knew Hanji had a point. He seriously needed a refresher on dating, but for the most part, Levi was at least confident enough in his own skill of persuasion and lying and that was all this 'date' really needed. If he could get Eren to believe he was interested in him romantically, then he was more than sure he'd be able to execute this plan perfectly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But what Levi doesn't know is that Eren's charm and overall perfectness can win over anybodies heart! Poor little midget.  
> Doesn't have the slightest clue just how hard he's gonna fall for that bright eyed kid <333


	6. I'd Love to Know you well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of my readers who have seen the original Sabrina movie, you'll probably notice some more movie parallels happening in this chapter. All very important, of course.

"Eren... Eren!" 

The sound of Armin's distorted voice calling his name loudly from the speakers of his laptop is what snapped Eren out of his daze. He blinked once, twice, and then remembered that he had been on a three-way skype call with Armin and Mikasa when he'd zoned out again. 

"Huh? Sorry, Ar. I guess I spaced out." Eren sighed, running a hand over his face and then through his hair. "What were you saying?" 

"Eren," this time, it was Mikasa calling his name. A hint of worry in her voice. "Are you sure you're really okay with going out with that Levi guy? He sounds like a major asshole." 

Ah, that's right. Eren had just been telling his two closest friends about the extremely weird thing that happened to him that morning on his way to try and visit Jean. He'd been turned away his bedroom doors by a nurse who said she'd just given him some strong painkillers for his injury and that he'd probably be out like a light for the rest of the day. Somehow, Eren didn't buy that reason, but who was he to question and go against that order? Nobody, really. Then, as he was walking out of the Ackerman's mansion, he'd been stopped in the hallway by none other than Levi Ackerman himself. 

"Were you trying to see Jean?" he'd asked, never glancing up from the newspaper he was reading. 

Out of habit, Eren had swallowed nervously and felt like he was about to be reprimanded by the oldest Ackerman. It was a common feeling of fear he always got whenever Levi appeared before him; the feeling of a parent getting ready to scold a petulant child. Really, it was a silly feeling for Eren to have around Levi now as an adult. He was twenty-two for crying out loud! Not an eight-year-old caught with his hand in the cookie jar. 

"um, yeah, I was but the nurse said he'd probably be knocked out on painkillers for the rest of the day." He'd tried not to fidget while standing before Levi, but he caught himself repeatedly balling his hands into fists at his sides and curling his toes inside his shoes. 

"Hn," Was all Levi had said at first, just before he'd finally put the newspaper down and folded it neatly, tucking it underneath his arm once he was satisfied with his own work. "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Dr. Berner said Jean will probably be laid up in bed for a few days. Most likely doped up on pain killers more than half the time. Visiting him won't be impossible but it'll be very boring." 

Eren wasn't sure where Levi was trying to go with this, exactly. Was it his way of trying to discourage Eren from visiting Jean? While he didn't think Levi had any reason to lie about Jean's lengthy recovery, Eren still felt slightly suspicious. 

"Oh, well, I don't mind. Just as long as I can see him, that should be enough." He was about to turn and leave again, when the sound of Levi calling his name stopped him again. 

"Eren," 

"Yeah...?" 

"Actually, Jean asked me to do him a favor and take you out this afternoon."

"Pardon?" Eren turned back to fully face Levi, who was standing at the landing of the staircase he'd just descended. He cocked a suspicious brow at the older Ackerman who was staring down at him, looking bored and indifferent as usual. Always with that look of utter exasperation. Like he'd rather be doing a million other things than standing there and talking to Eren. He probably _did_ have a million other things to do, considering it was freakin' Levi Ackerman. 

"Considering the fact that Jean will be restricted from doing anything... strenuous for the next few days, he asked me to make sure you were taken care of. Guess it's his way of trying to apologize for not being able to make it to the Solarium last night." 

_Oh_. That's right. The Solarium. Eren had almost forgotten that he'd slapped the shit out of Levi after he'd--... after _Levi_ kissed him. Right. Remembering that kiss, and the way they'd danced just the night before, had Eren's cheeks feeling a little warm. 

"Oh, um, well, It's not that big of deal, really." he mumbled quietly, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden. "Sorry, again, about slapping you." 

He heard a soft snort of laughter come from Levi who seemed amused to see him in such a flustered state of turmoil over mentioning the Solarium, the kiss and the slap. 

"Forget about it," Levi chuckled, waving his hand in the air dismissively. "Look, just be ready to go sailing later on this afternoon. I'll pick you up around 3pm. We're taking Jean's boat." without waiting for Eren's answer, the oldest Ackerman turned and left, leaving a rather speechless Eren behind at the foot of the stairs. 

Thus, that was why Eren was currently having an emergency skype call with his two closest friends who were both staring at him through his laptop screen waiting for him to say something. He gnawed on his bottom lip for a moment or two as he thought about Mikasa's question. True, Levi did come off as an asshole more times than not. Plus, he was always so serious and stern looking. The typical no-nonsense businessman. All work, no play. But, Eren had to give Levi some credit where it was due. So far, since he'd returned from Berlin, Levi had been considerate of him in a lot of ways. 

"I don't know. I mean, I've known Levi and Jean all my life. I grew up watching their backs and I thought I knew everything there was to know about the both of them but... last night really changed my opinion of Levi." Eren slumped forward in his desk chair and continued to run his hands through his hair, mussing it up more than it already was. 

"What do you mean, Eren?" Armin asked. 

Groaning, Eren threw his hands up in the air in defeat. "I don't know!" he shouted at the ceiling. "As a kid, I was always kind of... scared of Levi. He was a lot older than me and he always had this frown or scowl on his face when he's not looking bored to death. He could always make me run away from him with just a look from his eyes, and I kind of still feel that way about him now but last night-- last night we danced together, twice! And he was so charismatic and different than usual." 

"Different how?" Mikasa sighed, clearly annoyed with Eren's vague explanation. 

"Different like... like the way he spoke to me! He told me he didn't object to my intentions toward Jean and then he said I was the most gorgeous person at the party and that he wanted to dance with me. Normally, Levi would _never_ say something like that. He's always talking to his secretary Hanji on the phone, barking out instructions and orders, or working away in his office here at the mansion, and when he's not in his office he's meeting with partners and clients and constantly discussing stock market prices and boring business stuff." Eren was breathing heavily at the end of his explanation, not having bothered to take a breath that entire time. 

Both Mikasa and Armin blinked at him, keeping silent until Eren managed to get his breathing under control. Then, a rather large smile broke out on Armin's face while Mikasa frowned at her webcam. 

"Sounds like he fancies you, Eren." Armin sang. It was always adorable to here him do that with his cute little english accent. 

At that, Eren snorted loudly. "What? Get real, Armin." 

"No, I'm serious! Right, Mikasa?" 

"Eren, don't date that guy. I don't like him." 

"Guys," Eren groaned. "Armin, you're crazy and Mikasa, chill. I'm not going to start dating Levi Ackerman because there's no way in hell Levi could ever be interested in anyone romantically, let alone me. I'm nine years younger than him and he probably just feels sorry for me or something." 

"Sure." Armin and Mikasa said in unison. 

"Anyway," Armin continued, shifting in his own desk chair. "I've gotta go now. Mum is gonna be bloody mad at me if she knows I'm still awake at this hour." to emphasize just how late it was in England where Armin was, he yawned widely. "If you really don't wanna go out with him, then don't. But I think you should give him a chance. Goodnight, guys!" 

All three of them waved to each other before Armin's screen minimized and it was just Eren and Mikasa left. With Armin now gone, Mikasa chose this time to strike. 

"Eren, what about Erwin?" she'd asked softly, a worried look on her face. 

Eren swallowed a tiny lump that was forming in his throat at the mention of his former lover. The only other man he'd tried so hard to love. 

"What about him?" Eren cursed himself for allowing his voice to shake as he spoke. 

"I thought you loved him, Eren. Erwin was such a perfect match for you. I still don't understand why you dumped him. He was--"

"Perfect, I know, Mikasa." he said bitterly, though he didn't intend for it to sound so harsh. Sighing, Eren buried his face in his hands. "I'm sorry, Mika. I didn't mean to get upset. I'm just... tired of everyone asking me that fucking question all the time." 

"... What did your dad say when you told him about the break up?" she pushed on. Typical Mikasa. 

"He was obviously upset about it. Started asking me why I couldn't have just stayed in Berlin with Erwin since I was clearly happier there with him." Eren remembered the crestfallen look on his Father's face when he told him he'd broken up with Erwin for Jean. A pang of regret struck him and now looking back on it, Eren felt really stupid for it. 

"Eren," Mikasa called softly. "I'm not telling you this to hurt you, and I'm not telling you this because I want you to feel bad. I just want you to realize that what you're doing is kind of crazy and you're probably going to get hurt in the end. Are you really okay with that?" 

Eren had to stop and think about that for a moment. Was he really okay with that? He knew there was very little chance of him and Jean actually happening, but after last night, Eren had even just the tiniest bit of hope that it could. His only real obstacle was Levi. 

"Even if I do end up getting hurt in the end, I have to do this. If I don't even try, then I'll just end up going through the rest of my life dating men like Erwin and dumping them because I'll always wonder if I could have had everything I'd ever wanted if I'd only tried." 

Mikasa sighed again, this time, heavily. "Eren, promise me that if this doesn't work out, you'll move on with your life and forget about Jean." 

"I promise." Eren smiled. "So! Help me figure out what I'm going to wear when I go sailing with Levi later." 

"You're still gonna go with him? I thought you didn't want to?" Mikasa scoffed. 

"Yeah, I don't, but why should I turn down the chance to go sailing? I love sailing!" 

"Eren," Mikasa groaned, shaking her head. "Fine, show me what clothes you've got. Even if I don't like this, I'll make sure you look amazing." 

Eren blew a kiss at his computer screen, "Thanks, Mika. You're the best!"

\- -

"Levi... what are we listening to, exactly?"

"I'm going to fucking kill Hanji." Levi had growled under his breath as he fumbled with his ipod, trying to change the current song that was playing.

'♩ Quit playing games with my heart (my heart, my heart)  
I should have known from the start (my heart, my heart) ♩'

"Is that... the Backstreet Boys? You listen to the Backstreet boys?" Eren was on the verge of laughter as he watched Levi furiously tapping away at the screen of his ipod.

"Obviously not, dipshit! Hanji created this playlist for me and this is their way of trying to be fucking funny." the older man growled just as he skipped to the next available song.

'♩ Every little thing I do, never seems enough for you  
You don't wanna lose it again, but I'm not like them  
Baby, when you finally get to love somebody,  
Guess what? It's gonna be me

You've got no choice, babe, but to move on  
You know, there ain't no time to waste  
But you're just too blind to see,  
but in the end you know it's gonna be me ♩'

"Oh my god, Nsync?" Eren was curling in on himself with laughter as Levi gave up and groaned.

"Fuck this shitty piece of technology." he cursed, sitting back in his seat and letting the ipod shuffle through song after song of horrible 90's boy band songs. 

Eren wiped away tears from his eyes, "Just leave it. I love Nsync and the Backstreet Boys." he chuckled, pushing some hair back and out of his eyes. 

"Tch, of course, you would." 

They'd only been out on the open sea sailing for about an hour when Levi had decided to put his ipod in the docking speakers to play some music. Only, he'd forgotten that he'd asked Hanji to create a playlist for him since he wasn't up to date with all the current artists and musicians. Turns out, Hanji was either trying to be funny or they truly weren't as up to date on current pop culture as he'd hoped they were. 

"Hold on," Eren sighed as he stood up from his comfortable spot near the stern of the boat. "I'll put some music on for us. You don't mind right?" 

"Nah, I don't care." Levi shrugged as he took a sip from the glass of wine he'd poured for himself. Eren had a similar glass in his hand as well as he picked up the ipod and started thumbing at the screen. 

"Seriously? You don't care if I put on some horrible music?" 

"More horrible than this?" Levi chuckled. 

"What if I put on rap music?" Eren smirked. 

"Then I'd toss your ass overboard, along with that ipod." 

"Okay, point taken." Eren laughed, never taking his eyes off the ipod screen. He kept tapping away at it and scrolling until he settled on something he thought they'd both enjoy. He set the ipod back on it's dock and let the soft sound of acoustic guitars fill the previous silence. [ (X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Q-e4Z_Mpo)

Levi took a moment to listen to the song Eren put on, before nodding his head in approval. 

"Not bad." he commented.

Eren smiled, feeling pleased with himself. 

"Good, glad you won't have to throw my ass overboard." he laughed, reciting Levi's earlier threat. They both fell silent for a while, simply listening to the sound of waves and guitars and soothing vocals.

'♩ I heard that you're moving away  
Fumbled in my pockets for a final word  
And I tell you 'Don't be late'  
Smile when you tell me you wont  
Shuffle your feet and you don't  
Want to read between the air of silence  
Then the rain begins 

I don't want to love you  
I want to learn you  
But I'd love to know you well ♩'

"This is nice," Eren sighed, looking out toward the endless body of sapphire blues and sea greens.

"Mm." Levi hummed around the rim of his wine glass. "So, tell me about Berlin. Did you ever see Hitler?" 

Eren rolled his eyes, "Oh, ha-ha. You're so hilarious." 

Levi shrugged, "I never claimed to be very funny but I do try my best." 

"To answer your question, No. I didn't see any signs of Hitler and the Third Reich while I was in Berlin." 

"Hey, I'm only asking a harmless question. I'm part Jewish, you know." 

"You are?" Eren asked, one eyebrow arched high. 

"Nah, I was just fucking with you." 

Eren huffed out a breath and pouted, "That wasn't funny. I dated a Jewish guy." he pouted. 

"Seriously?" this time, it was Levi's turn to arch an eyebrow at Eren. 

"No. I was just fucking with you." He beamed at the older Ackerman who in return it with a smirk of his own. "We're horrible people for joking about this." 

"Hey," Levi shrugged again. "Somebody has to do it. But, in all seriousness, tell me what you did while you were there." 

This time Eren shrugged, "There's not much to tell. I went there to attend college." 

"What did you major in?" 

"Photography." 

Levi nodded, "Okay, Mr. Photographer." 

Eren laughed, "I interned for a bit with Vogue magazine." he admitted. 

"Ah," Levi sat a little straighter in his seat. "Now that doesn't sound as boring as you talking about taking Photography classes in college. Tell me all about the High-end Fashion industry from the inside." 

"It's definitely interesting. Actually, it made me want to work for either Vogue or some other fashion magazine. I loved working with all those designers and models. Even made a few friends who happened to be models as well." Eren had a fond twinkle in his eyes as he reminisced about his time back in Berlin. 

"Were any of them underwear models?" Levi snorted. 

"Yes, actually." Eren answered with a smug smile of his own. 

"A hot shot, huh?" Levi stood up from his seat to get a refill of wine, doing the same for Eren's nearly empty glass as well. He took his seat once more, this time a little more close to Eren who was seated no more than a foot away from him. 

"I even got to go to Paris for awhile. It was so beautiful. I'd love to go back someday." the brunet sighed.

'♩ So long to your family home  
I wonder if you'll ever get that feeling back?  
Your family home

Covered my eyes with your hands  
Walked me through all of your plans  
I told you I could see it all  
But all I saw was you  
Through the space in your fingers ♩'

That was when Levi got a brilliant idea in his head. He reminded himself that he wasn't on this boat for fun, he was here to deal with a problem; a threat for his merger deal with Bodt Electronics. He needed to get Eren out of the picture, but he needed to be smart about it. Thus, he came up with the plan to ship Eren off to Paris, or Berlin, whichever ended up being the case. With Eren gone, Jean would marry Marco and the merger would be signed, sealed and delivered. Now, all he had to do was get Eren to fall for him. Tricky, indeed.

"Ah, Paris. I was there once." Levi fibbed. 

"Really? What did you think of it? Gorgeous isn't it?" Eren asked, excitedly. 

"I was there for 35 minutes." 

"35 minutes?" 

"Changing planes. I was on a business trip." 

"But Levi," Eren laughed. "Paris isn't for changing planes, it's for--" 

"Paris is for Lovers." Levi stopped him. "Maybe that's why I only stayed for 35 minutes." he swirled the contents of his glass with a flick of his wrist, looking out toward the waves. 

Eren fell silent at that, no sure what one was supposed to say in that kind of situation. He'd always believed that honesty was the best policy. What was the point in lying? It only complicated things. And, in true Eren Jaeger fashion, he decided to speak his mind. 

"It's odd. I always thought you walked alone." he smiled down at his own full wine glass. 

"No man walks alone by choice. At least, that's what they say anyway." Levi shrugged halfheartedly. 

Eren suddenly remembered something, "I used to watch you from the window above the garage. Always coming and going, wearing your black Chanel suits and carrying a briefcase. I thought you could never belong to anyone-- never care for anyone."

Levi seemed to get a laugh out of that, "Ah, Yes. The cold businessman behind his marble desk way up in his executive suite. No emotion-- just ice water in his veins." 

Feeling a little uncomfortable, Eren shifted in his seat but kept his gaze on Levi who seemed a little bitter all of a sudden. He watched as the older Ackerman took a long sip of his wine, slightly marveling at this new side of Levi he'd never seen before. Then again, he'd never bothered to try and actually talk to the older man before. His attention was always so focused on Jean that he never thought about watching Levi a little more closely. He never noticed just how lonely he looked before. Levi was always a hardhearted man in his mind, and he realized that was the actual man himself was far from being hardhearted. He was just misunderstood.

'♩ You say all the people you know  
All are slowly dying from a silent cause  
From their quiet desperations  
I walk you home in the rain  
Pass by the yellow line train  
Thought that I was different when you looked at me  
But this quiet desperation is killing me too  
Killing me too

I don't want to love you  
I want to learn you  
But I'd love to know you well ♩'

"Maybe you should go to Paris." he suddenly suggested without a second thought.

Levi seemed a little surprised by that. He spared Eren a long glance before looking back out toward the ocean, seemingly deep in thought. 

"Do you think it's possible for somebody to try and blot everything out for sentimental reasons?" he asked, catching Eren a little off guard by the odd question. 

"Well, yeah. I went to Berlin to blot out my feelings for Jean." 

"And? Did it help?" 

Eren frowned at Levi's question, now that the man was staring at him with a little smug smile of his own. He knew damn well that going away to Germany for four years didn't help Eren get over his feelings for Jean at all. He was just milking it. 

"Don't be such an ass, Levi." the brunet sighed, smiling a bit when he heard Levi chuckle softly. "No, I did something much, much worse to try and get over Jean." 

Curious, Levi pressed for more. "Like?" 

A brief memory of Erwin's sleeping face flashed through Eren's mind and he smiled ruefully. 

"I told a good man that I loved him, when I didn't." he nearly whispered. Just talking about it made him feel the guilt all over again. It was something he'd always regret for the rest of his life. "I broke his heart when he didn't deserve it." 

"You mean Erwin?" Levi hadn't realized he'd asked that out loud. He hadn't meant to. It was just something he remembered hearing Grisha talking about with some of the other household staff and sometimes when he overheard the man talking to Eren over the phone. Erwin was Eren's lover while he was Berlin and Grisha had made it out to sound like a very serious relationship. 

Eren seemed horrified to know that Levi knew the name of his ex-lover. His eyes were wide as he stared at Levi with his mouth slightly hanging open. The older man mentally cursed himself for slipping up like that. He could only hope he could either smoothly lie his way out of this or try not to seem creepy for knowing a rather crucial detail like that. Suddenly, Eren gave a dry, humorless laugh as he pressed one of the palms of his hands to his forehead and shook his head from side to side. 

"Guess it's not really a surprise that you know about Erwin. Petra and the others are chatter boxes after all and my dad seemed to think Erwin and I were going to get married or something." 

"Were you?" Levi asked, again, without thinking first. What the hell was wrong with him? 

"I don't know." Eren answered honestly. He seemed at war with himself all of a sudden. "Erwin was... perfect. Too perfect. I didn't deserve someone as great as him but I think I probably would have married him, if he'd ever asked me. I'm selfish like that." He smiled up at Levi sadly. 

"We're all a little selfish, Eren. Always looking out for ourselves and doing what benefits us the most in the end." Levi knew he was talking about himself more than anything, but the same thing applied. 

"Maybe," Eren sighed. "Anyway, thanks for taking me out today, Levi. I'm glad I came." Eren raised his glass toward Levi for a toast, and the older man complied. 

"Same here. I'm glad you came." 

The younger man blushed and looked away smiling at Levi's words. It was strange how his heart seemed to light up knowing that Levi was glad he went sailing with him. Strange because Eren never thought his heart would light up because of Levi Ackerman of all people. The world was truly a mystery.

\- -

It was late evening when Eren walking up the driveway toward the Ackerman's garage. The cobblestone was wet and he discovered why when he saw his father had taken out the Rolls-Royce and was washing it, by hand. He smiled upon seeing his father who in turn watched Eren walk up the driveway barefoot and carrying his shoes in one hand. His hair was windswept and the white button up shirt he'd worn that afternoon was a little wet, as were the khaki shorts he'd been wearing earlier. He still had his sunglasses perched on top of his head, and Grisha could see that Eren was just a tiny bit darker than when he'd left that afternoon.

"Hey, dad." Eren greeted with a big goofy grin on his face. He brushed passed his father's shoulder, stopping briefly to kiss the man on his cheek. Grisha could smell the ocean on him. 

"Petra has dinner for you in the kitchen." the elder Jaeger huffed, catching a glimpse of a slightly wet looking Levi entering the mansion through the rear kitchen door. Onyx hair windswept as well.

Eren watched Levi as he retreated into the Mansion. As if working on autopilot, Eren threw his shoes off to the side and bent down to pick up an extra sponge that was in the bucket of soap-water. He started helping his father wash the car, but his mind was completely elsewhere. 

"Dad, you spend a lot of time driving Levi wherever he needs to go. What do you know about him?" 

Grisha seemed surprised by Eren's sudden curiosity concerning the oldest Ackerman, but, if he knew his son well, he knew that it meant nothing good. 

"Not much." Grisha sighed. "I focus my attention on the road." 

Eren was quiet for a moment or two, "You know, I used to be so afraid of him as a child." 

"And, what's changed?"

"I don't know." Eren shrugged. "What was Levi like when he was a kid?"

"He was shorter." Grisha grabbed the sponge in Eren's hand and threw it back into the bucket with a splash. "Eren, please go upstairs and change. You smell like seaweed." 

Sighing with a smile, Eren eventually complied. "Fine, fine. I'm going. Goodnight, Dad." 

Eren slowly ascended the spiral staircase that led to the loft above the garage, his mind still buzzing with endless questions about Levi and what he was really like behind that cool facade he put on in front of everyone. Today, he'd gotten a brief glimpse of that person, but he was dying to know more. Grisha on the other hand, didn't like what this meant at all. He had a bad feelings things were about to get very complicated, very soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very pleased with this chapter overall. One of my favorite scenes from the 1954 film Sabrina is the boat scene between her and Linus. 
> 
> Anyway, the Ereri ship is finally sailing! Both literally and figuratively lol


	7. I'm Lying To You Cause I'm Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More movie parallels, and some new shit that my brain came up with. My wonderful Waifu Paula helped me come up with the second half of this chapter, and I can honestly say she broke me when she suggested this idea to me LMAO
> 
> She also helped me a TON with the streets and destinations Eren and Levi go to in this chapter! My point is, my Waifu is amazing and awesome and I probably wouldn't have been able to do this chapter justice without her superior knowledge of NYC. I'm from Texas, so, yeah. Don't know shit about NYC or the East Coast in general.

The next morning, Grisha drove Levi into the city toward the giant, glass building with the surname 'ACKERMAN' scrawled across the front in large chrome letters. It was a large and extremely intimidating building; one that Grisha Jaeger was very familiar with by now. Fifty stories tall, at least, sitting right smack in the heart of Park Avenue.

"Hanji, I need you to get a message out to Hannes, Forth Worth, Texas. Tell him I can't attend the Board Meeting because of a slight hitch with the Merger." 

Grisha kept his eyes focused on the busy roads before him, but he kept his ears open, despite having told Eren just last night that his attention is always on the road, even Grisha would admit to sometimes eavesdropping on some of Levi's conversations. It was hard not to, really. 

"Next, here's the itinerary for tonight. I want two tickets for whatever Broadway show is sold out in the city. Table for two at the Carlyle. Make it a corner table. A dark corner." He paused, scowling out the window at something Hanji said in response to that. "I am aware that I seldom go to the theater." another pause, a deeper scowl. "Okay, I'm not exactly a theater buff..." an even longer pause before he sighed and hissed out an exasperated "Hanji!" 

He couldn't help it. Grisha frowned at that little bit he overheard and unfortunately, Levi seemed to notice this, and quickly. He had a mirthful look in his eyes as he watched Grisha through the rear view mirror, but continued to bark orders out to his Secretary. 

"I'm just passing La Guardia Field. Have my tea ready in 45 minutes." with that, he ended his call on a firm note and whipped out the morning newspaper. "Oh, and Jaeger?" 

"Yes, sir?" Grisha answered dutifully. 

"I'll be needing you tonight." 

"Yes, sir." 

"I'm taking Eren out again." 

"...Yes, sir." 

"Have him at my office at 7:00." 

Grisha couldn't help the small sigh he made before answering, "Yes, sir." 

At that, Levi folded the top half of the newspaper down and regarded his longtime Chauffeur with a small smirk of amusement. 

"Alright, Jaeger. I can take a hint. I'm guessing you don't like that I've been taking Eren out lately?" 

The man behind the wheel was silent for a long moment or two, only occasionally glancing back at a surprisingly tactful Levi in the mirror. Finally, he relented. 

"I would just prefer if you didn't ask for my service on these dates with my son, Sir. It makes for an awkward situation." And that was the honest truth. Well, most of the honest truth, anyway. 

Levi seemed to understand what Grisha meant perfectly, understanding flashing in his grey eyes and that smirk melting into something more sincere. 

"Ah, I see. My apologies, Jaeger. It never occurred to me that you wouldn't approve." 

"It's just not right, Sir." Grisha said, shaking his head with a heavy sigh. Levi arched a brow at his Chauffeur, coaxing him to continue. "I was raised believing that we all have our places in this life. Sort of like a Limousine, Sir." 

"A limousine?" Levi snorted. 

"Yes. There's a front seat and a back seat and a window in between." 

The oldest Ackerman seemed to get a laugh out of that way of thinking, though Grisha couldn't understand why. It was truly how the world worked. At least, that's how he'd been raised to believe so. 

"Jaeger, I never realized it before but you've got a very old fashioned way of looking at the world, don't you?" 

"Yes, sir." 

Sighing softly through his nose, Levi digressed. "Alright, Jaeger. Have him drive himself and tell him not to be late." 

Now that that was all settled, Levi went back to thumbing through notifications on his smart phone; the morning paper forgotten on the seat next to him. Still, despite having voiced his discomfort about this whole situation concerning Eren, Grisha still felt something bothering him. Levi had always been too smart for his own good. Much too mature and adult, even as a child. Always carrying the weight of the entire Ackerman family on his shoulders... 

"Thank you, sir. It's all so distressing. First Mr. Jean, now you." Grisha knew he was probably just rambling, but he couldn't stop. He needed to say it. "I sometimes wish Eren had stayed in Berlin." Levi didn't say anything in response to that, so the Chauffeur figured it was safe to continue. "Sir? If it's alright, might I ask what exactly are your... intentions?" 

Another soft snort of laughter from the backseat, "Unethical, reprehensible and probably a bit cruel." were Levi's mumbled words. 

"Beg pardon, sir?"

Levi seemed to realize that answer would probably earn him a punch in the dick, and he wouldn't put it past his own Chauffeur to do it, despite the man's strong sense of propriety. 

"Jaeger, with your permission, I'd like to ship your son back to Berlin... or, Paris." 

Grisha seemed surprised by his bold statement, "You are, sir?" 

"Well," Levi said a bit uncertain. "That is, I'm going to try." 

"Might I ask, how?" 

Levi could sense the tiny inkling of excitement in the older man's voice. The way his grey/green eyes had lit up like the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center at the mention of Levi's plan. This could only mean good things for Levi, if he played his cards right. 

"First Class, of course." he smirked. "And I don't want you to worry about money. Ackerman Industries will take care of everything, I assure you." 

Grisha frowned at that, "It's not money I'm worried about, Sir." there was a grave tone in the Chauffeur's voice. "It's Eren I'm worried about. I... just don't want to see him get hurt."

Ah, now _that_ Levi could empathize with. It seemed, the longer he took to execute his little plan, the less he wanted to actually hurt the younger Jaeger boy. Levi had known Eren all his life; had been there when Carla announced her pregnancy and the entire household staff at the Ackerman Estate had rejoiced at the news and was there when a proud, yet very sentimental Grisha had brought home an even prouder mother of a beautiful bright eyed baby boy. No, Levi didn't wish to see Eren hurt either.

"I'll be as gentle as I can." Levi said, voice soft and sincere as he stared out the car window suddenly feeling nostalgic. 

He closed his tired eyes, pressing his forehead against the cool pane of glass, feeling the way the car slightly vibrated as they drove down all too familiar roads but Levi didn't want to look at the roads. He wanted to remember and dream about a time when Kaleidoscope eyes didn't look at him with fear.

\- -

"Levi! My little french crepe! I managed to snag you a couple of tickets to a show tonight!"

Hanji came bouncing into Levi's office later that afternoon, their smartphone in one hand and a bluetooth earpiece in their ear. Always busy and ever the dutiful Assistant/Secretary. Levi really didn't give them enough credit, but Hanji was damn good at their job and quick as a whip too. 

Turning in his seat, Levi waved them in and motioned for them to close the door. Hanji did as they were told and skipped over toward Levi's desk before presenting him with the tickets they'd managed to 'snag'. 

Levi took them and glanced over the title of the show, grimacing when he realized what show it was for. Still, he had asked for tickets to some sold out show. And while he was definitely not a fan of the theater, he couldn't possibly just toss gems like these away... no matter how distasteful. 

"Not bad," he praised. 

"Well, you certainly don't look very enthusiastic about the tickets." Hanji sang, a knowing smirk on their face. "You of all people should know that the most difficult tickets to get are for Broadway musicals." 

"Yeah?" 

"That means, Oh, grumpy boss of mine, that the actors will periodically break out into song on stage..."

Levi mumbled an incoherent reply, flippantly waving his hand in the air for lack of a proper verbal response. Hanji beamed from ear to ear, knowing how hard this was for Levi. They knew how much he despised show tunes. 

"So, when is Eren supposed to get here? I can't wait to meet the kid that has you acting so out-of-character lately!" they plopped themselves down in the overly large leather seats in Levi's ridiculously large executive suite. Their rust colored hair bounced up and down wildly with Hanji's movements. 

"Tch, I have _not_ been acting out-of-character lately. I'm just annoyed that I have to be running around with this fresh-out-of-college kid when I have a fuck ton of work I should be doing right now." 

"Sure," Hanji laughed wryly. "That's the reason." 

Levi shot them a glare, but it quickly withered as he didn't even have the energy to glare at his assistant. It was true; he has been acting and... feeling, strange lately. He was actually a little bit nervous about taking Eren out later. There was really no reason for him to be nervous. He's known the kid his entire life and he knew very well that Eren was the most ungraceful, hot-headed, impulsive little shit and yet Levi felt jittery, like he was about to meet the god damn Pope or something. Okay, bad comparison. Levi wasn't the least bit religious. But the same thing applied. It was like he was meeting some great world leader of the new free world. Ridiculous. It was just Eren for crying out loud.

As Hanji was about to open their mouth to start up another round of playful banter with the eldest Ackerman son, a set of knocks at the doors stopped them. There was a heavy silence that followed the knocks as Levi shot his Assistant a questioning look. Hanji could only shrug in response. They hadn't the slightest idea who it could possibly be knocking at Levi's office door at 3:00 pm. 

"Come in," Levi called firmly. The quicker they knew who was knocking, the quicker Levi could get back to work. 

The door clicked open softly, like whoever was on the other side of the door was unsure of actually going in or not. Hanji turned in their seat, curiously awaiting to find out the identity of their mystery guest. Finally, someone poked their head hesitantly into the office and Levi felt his mouth drop open a bit. 

"Eren," he breathed out. 

That name had Hanji immediately shooting up from their seat, quickly approaching the young man who entered the office and stood by the doors awkwardly. His chestnut hair was windswept, and turquoise eyes widened comically at the sight of Hanji practically barreling toward him. Eren recoiled when Hanji stopped just short of a few inches in front of him, their large brown eyes inspecting him from head to toe carefully. 

"Hi," they drawled with a wide grin on their face. "I'm Hanji Zoe, Levi's assistant! Just call me Hanji!" they thrust their hand out toward Eren for him to shake and the brunet did so hesitantly. "Eren, right? That's such a great name." 

"Oh, um, thank you." Eren said with a nervous smile. He glanced up at Levi who was rolling his eyes at Hanji's behavior over finally meeting Eren. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything...?" he flashed Levi a sweet but timid smile.

"No," Levi answered a little too eagerly. "Hanji was just leaving, actually." he shot a pointed look at his nosy assistant who was still invading Eren's personal space and inspecting him closely like he was some kind of new species of human being no one else had ever discovered before. 

"What? OH! Yes, I was just leaving, ha-ha. Lots of work to do, and all that. Why don't you have a seat, Eren? Take a load off!" they swatted Eren across the back with a little too much force, causing the brunet to stumble forward a step and wince at the intensity. Levi already felt bad for the kid. 

Before they slipped out the door of Levi's office, the looked over Eren's shoulder and pointed excitedly at Eren, silently mouthing _'Oh my god! This is Eren!?'_ which only caused Levi to scowl at them as they walked out of his office dramatically fanning themselves. He got the idea; Eren was stupidly attractive. He established that a few nights ago at Jean's engagement party and he didn't need his assistant pointing out the obvious. 

After Hanji had left, Eren was still standing near the entrance looking rather put out and fidgeting in his spot. Levi took in his appearance, not having paid much attention to what he was wearing when he came in. He was [wearing ](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/cc/4a/d0/cc4ad045a082a621bf030a5f22e2aa46.jpg) a simple but tasteful outfit. Casual, yet perfect for the cooler September weather in New York. Levi had to admit, the kid looked good. 

"Sit down. Make yourself comfortable." Levi instructed softly, causing Eren to startled slightly. 

"Thanks." he slowly walked toward the center of Levi's spacious office, glancing at all his surroundings as he sunk down into the leather seat opposite the one Hanji was sitting in prior to his arrival. "Wow. It's bigger than I imagined it would be." 

"Don't look so surprised." Levi snorted softly. "Would you like some coffee?" 

Eren shook his head with a shy smile, "No, thanks." 

An awkward silence filled the room after that. The sound of a clock ticking on a distant wall the only noise being made. Levi leaned back in his desk chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched Eren fidget under his scrutiny. He noticed the way Eren kept his hands firmly on his kneecaps but that didn't stop him from curling his fingers into fists periodically. Eren seemed reluctant to make eye contact with him, glancing at everything else in the room but keeping clear of Levi's line of vision. He pursed his lips, licked them a few times, gnawed on the bottom lip. 

"So," Levi finally broke the silence. Eren startled again, not having expected Levi to be the first one to speak. "Is there any particular reason you're in the city this early? I asked you to be at my office at 7:00. It's only 3:04." 

Eren smiled at that, "I decided to come into the city a bit earlier to do some photography." 

"Hence, the street clothes?" Levi nodded toward Eren's apparel, earning a chuckle from the brunet. He much preferred when Eren was comfortable and smiling. 

"Exactly." 

Nodding his head, Levi swiveled his seat around a bit. "That still doesn't answer the question that I've yet to ask." 

"Which is?" 

"Why did you suddenly decide to drop by my office? Couldn't wait until tonight to see me?" Levi smirked, clearly teasing the younger man. 

At least, that was the intention. When he saw the way Eren's cheeks flushed at the mention of not being able to wait to see him, he felt his heart do a funny little thing in his chest at the sight. Eren was back to gnawing on his bottom lip as he kept his eyes glued to the toe of one of his boots. 

"Ere-" 

"Wanna go for a walk? With me?" 

Levi stared at Eren, a bit confused. "A walk." Eren nodded, finally looking up at Levi again. "At 3:00 in the afternoon." Again, another nod. "On a Monday." 

The brunet rolled his eyes, "Yes, a walk at 3:00 in the afternoon on a Monday in New York! How much clearer do I need to be?" 

The eldest Ackerman glanced at the pile of paper he still had to read over, expense reports and fuck only knows what else. He really did have an awful lot of work he needed to take care of, but the temptation of accepting Eren's offer was surprisingly great. Still, it was just a walk, right? Levi wouldn't mind a little fresh air. 

"Alright." he agreed with a nod, and Eren beamed from ear to ear. 

"Great! Did you have lunch yet?" 

Levi stood from his chair, tidied up some loose papers that were scattered around his desk and started typing out a message to Hanji that he was going to be stepping out for a bit. 

"I don't normally eat lunch." he admitted, never taking his eyes off the screen of his phone. 

"Why does that not surprise me." Eren mumbled. "But, that's actually pretty convenient since I haven't eaten anything either. Mind if we get a bite to eat while we're out?" 

Slipping his phone back into his trouser pocket, Levi took off the reading glasses he'd been wearing and put them away in the breast pocket of his [suit jacket.](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/80/a5/d2/80a5d2e10a7ca34b10639268af4820bf.jpg) Eren stood as well, walking toward the double doors of Levi's office and smiling back at him. Levi had to stop and just admire how radiant Eren looked when he smiled. Definitely much better than seeing him nervous and fidgeting. 

"Levi?" Eren called, tilting his head so that his bangs fell in his eyes a bit. "What's up?" 

"What? Oh, nothing. Just making sure I didn't forget anything." the older man lied smoothly. 

The brunet shrugged, taking Levi's word as bible and opening the door to walk out of the office first, Levi following not to far behind. Hanji beamed at Eren who smiled back at them. 

"Should I tell anyone who calls for you while you're out that you're in a meeting, boss-man?"

Levi simply nodded curtly before leading Eren toward the sparkling silver Elevators he'd come up in earlier. They had quite a long ride down considering Levi's office was on the top floor. As they stepped into the Elevator, Levi gratefully took notice of the fact that they were the only two in it and he hoped it would stay that way. He didn't need anyone from the company riding down with them and giving him looks. It was bad enough there was always gossip about Jean flying around, the last thing this company needed was another reason to gossip. 

"So," Levi said, glancing up at the taller brunet who regarded him cheerfully. "Where exactly will we be walking to?" 

A mischievous grin slowly formed on the younger man's face, making him look like a child who was absolutely up to no good at all. Levi felt heat stir in his gut at that look. 

"Have you ever been to The Highline?"

\- -

According to Eren, the Highline was an elevated subway line west of 10th avenue and it would take them around 45 minutes to an hour to get there, depending on how fast or slow they walked. This was definitely not what Levi had been expecting when Eren had asked him out for a walk. This was a goddamn quest to the other side of town.

Eren had brought his camera with him, naturally. The moment they started walking down Park Ave, he'd started snapping pictures of the buildings and the people while Levi walked a step or two behind him so as to stay out of his way and out of any shots. 

"There's so many Banks in this city. I feel like I should do something silly each time I spot one." 

"Silly? Like what?" 

"I dunno... maybe... jazz hands!" 

Eren spread his fingers wide and started wriggling them around as they passed one of the many Citi banks on this street and Levi snorted at the ridiculous action. Leave it to Eren to come up with something dumb like that. 

"How about, no." 

"You're no fun, Levi." Eren sighed, picking his camera up again and shooting a few birds as they glided through the clear skies. "Do you always wear a three piece suit wherever you go?" 

"No," Levi grunted. "You can't tell right now, but underneath this suit I'm wearing my costume." 

Eren lowered his camera and shot Levi a skeptical look, "Your costume?" 

The shorter man moved a step closer to Eren, lowering his voice as he spoke. "My superhero costume." 

The loud and rather dorky snort of laughter that Eren let out at that dramatic reveal had even Levi fighting back a smile of his own. The brunet laughed openly and without care, wiping away tears as he tried to avoid running into anyone or any thing, for that matter. 

"That was so corny." he wheezed, once the worst of his laughter died down. "But, seriously, do you have to wear all of that?" 

Shrugging, Levi tugged at the collar of his button up. "Well, considering I do work in an office majority of the time, yes, I do have to wear of this stuff. Otherwise, how will any of my business associates or partners take me seriously?" 

"Hmm," Eren hummed, tucking some of his hair behind his ear. "Sound boring!" 

"Most of the time, yeah." the elder man admitted. 

"That's why I decided to become a photographer," Eren sighed. "There's nothing like doing something you love for a living. Capturing specific moments in people's lives in a photo-- immortalizing it. Those are the kinds of pictures I want to take." 

Levi stayed quiet as he watched the calm, peaceful expression on Eren's face while he talked about his passions. He couldn't remember ever seeing someone look as beautiful as Eren did while talking about their job or the things they loved. Maybe he'd spent so much time with cunning, sly businessmen who were only after your company and your money that he'd forgotten that there were still some people in the real world who had dreams and aspirations like Eren did. 

"I envy you." Levi said, catching Eren off guard and by surprise. "This city, it can wear you down until you're nothing but a shell of your former self. Most people that come here end up finding out New York isn't as magical a place as the movies and tv shows make it out to be. It's a tough city to live in, and live in it long enough, you'll probably end up getting a harsh dose of reality." 

"You sound like you're speaking from experience." Eren said. 

"Maybe I am," 

They fell silent for a while after that. The sound of Eren's camera clicking and shuttering bled into the other sounds of the bustling city. Cars rushing by, people talking, laughing, arguing. How long had it been since Levi had just _walked_ around the city for no particular reason other than to just think? Years, probably. 

The sound of Eren's camera shuttering again was what drew Levi out from his thoughts, turning to see Eren pointing his camera directly at him. Levi immediately frowned upon realizing the younger man had just snapped what was no doubt, a very unflattering picture of him. 

"Eren," he warned. 

"Don't get mad!" Eren quickly tried to placid. "You looked like you were deep in thought and my hands moved before I could stop myself, but look." he tilted the digital screen toward Levi so he could see the picture of himself Eren had just snapped. It's true, it wasn't as horrendous as he'd thought it would be, but he could see the deep frown on his face and the even more noticeable crease between his brows. "With the right filters, this photo would look great."

When Levi didn't answer him, Eren smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I'll delete it if you really want me to but, if I'm being honest, I really don't want to delete it." 

He hated how hearing Eren say that made him feel happy for some reason. The warmth that blossomed in his chest at the thought of Eren wanting to keep a photo of him was by far the strangest thing Levi had experienced yet with the younger man. Still, he found himself quickly succumbing to Eren's will as if he were a slave to it. 

"Do whatever you want, brat." he eventually sighed. "I guess I'm more photogenic than I thought." 

At this, Eren laughed again. "This coming from the guy who was on the cover of TIME magazine a few years ago?" 

"Tch, that was different." Levi grunted. "That was a professional photo shoot with tons of make up and a shit ton of lights." 

The younger man feigned offense, as he placed a hand to his heart and looked so unbelievably affronted by Levi's statement. 

"Are you saying I'm not a professional? I went to college and studied this shit for four years! I interned for VOGUE!" 

Rolling his eyes, Levi smirked. "I never said anything about _you_ being an amateur, drama queen." 

They fell into comfortable conversation after that. Eren talking a little more about his time spent interning at VOGUE and the time spent wandering the streets of Paris and Berlin. Levi talking about some of his own travels, skipping the boring parts about business, of course. Surprisingly, by the time Levi realized it, they were on 10th and nearing The Highline, according to Eren anyway. 

"I can't believe you've never been to The Highline before. It's pretty much only known by NY locals, you know. Won't find tourists there." 

Levi had shed his suit jacket, and was carrying over his right arm as they walked. While it was definitely cooling off now that it was September, some of the summer heat still lingered during some parts of the day. Eren had shed his leather jacket as well. Walking down 10th, Eren pointed out a closed shot on a corner. 

"That used to be the River side Deli! I always wanted to go in there but never did. Then when I came back from Germany I found out they closed it down." 

Levi let out a small wry laugh, "Serves you right for putting it off." 

"Hey, that's not nice." Eren nudged him with his shoulder. "Oh! And over there, now, that's the meanest Dunkin Donuts. Don't _ever_ go there." it was a Dunkin Donute/Basken Robbins on 10th and 44th and Levi rolled his eyes. 

"Thanks, I'll remember that next time I'm in this part of town." he snarks. 

"Don't say I didn't warn you when you walk into that Dunkin Donuts and they're rude to you." 

"Uh-huh." 

Suddenly, Eren bolted across the street to the opposite side walk. Levi felt himself panic when a car narrowly missed hitting him, the driver angrily honking their horn at nonplussed Eren and yelling profanities out their window. He followed after the brunet, who came to a stop at a lone sliding window on the side of a building that had probably seen better days. The old brick walls were plastered with old flyers and ads that had peeled, been ripped off, or destroyed by rain and other bad weather. Not to mention, the staggering amount of graffiti all over it as well. 

When he finally reached Eren, Levi marched up to him angrily and gripped him by his elbow. 

"Are you fucking insane?" he growled, voice low and dangerous. "You could have gotten yourself killed by pulling that stunt, Eren. What the fuck is-" 

Just then, Eren turned around to face him smiling widely while holding two very large-and might he add, very greasy- slices of Pizza in both hands. Levi just stood there, his mouth still open, preparing to continue his scolding before he eventually frowned up at the brunet. 

"Pizza?" he sighed. "You almost got yourself run over by a car... for a slice of fucking _Pizza_?" he let go of Eren's elbow in favor of pinching the bridge of his nose and massaging it, because he could swear that he felt a headache coming on. This kid would be the death of him, apparently. 

"Sorry, sorry. But when I saw that this place was still here, I just had to grab us both a slice. It's some of the best pizza in this whole god damn city!" 

Eren thrust the greasy slice of pepperoni pizza in Levi's face and the older man scrunched his nose up in disgust. There was only a couple of thin napkin separating the greasy food from Eren's actual hand and Levi felt his inner clean freak start screaming mayday. 

"There is no fucking way I'm touching that shit without a plate or more fucking napkins." 

Rolling his eyes, Eren complied. "Alright, your highness. More napkins coming right up." 

Levi glanced around, noticing that they were quite literally just standing out on the sidewalk and there were no chairs or tables anywhere in sight. Just how the hell were they supposed to eat Pizza? And to top it all off, Levi despised greasy foods. Pizza being one of the top foods he hated. Eren returned with a mountain of napkins, handing them to Levi before he shoved the Pizza at him again. 

"Hurry up and eat it before it gets cold. It doesn't taste as good cold." As soon as he said this, he folded his massive slice in half like a taco and took a giant bite out of it. The younger man moaned as he chewed, savoring every bit of the unhealthy artery clogging food. "I missed eating this so much."

Levi eyed his own slice of pizza skeptically, like it would try to bite him. Then, sighing, he took a bite and chewed slowly. When he didn't think he was going to throw up or get sick, Levi realized the pizza actually wasn't as bad as he expected it to be and started eating with more gusto. He hadn't realized just how hungry he'd been. 

"Good?" Eren asked through a mouthful of cheese. 

Levi frowned at him, "Don't talk with your mouth full, you savage." 

When he swallowed his food, Eren stuck the tip of his tongue out at the older man. Levi threatened to kick him in the ass and Eren simply walked away laughing. They both continued eating as they walked toward the Highline. Neither of them spoke a word as they ate, since Levi probably wouldn't appreciate it anyway. 

Eren finished first though, "Not bad for a $1 a slice, huh?" 

Levi was finishing up the last of his pizza which was the crust, and when he was done he wadded up the greasy napkins and cleaned his hands off as best he could considering he could just wash them somewhere. Luckily, Eren seemed to have read his mind and pulled out a small travel-sized bottle of purell and offered it to Levi, who accepted it gratefully. Once he felt less greasy, Levi answered. 

"I guess it wasn't completely disgusting. Although, I feel like I have to hit the gym for at least three hours just to work off all the calories from that one slice." 

Eren scoffed, "You? At the gym?" 

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Levi frowned. 

"No, nothing," Eren shrugged. "I mean, it's just hard to imagine you running on a treadmill at the gym wearing your signature black Chanel suit is all." 

"Be realistic here, Eren." 

"What? I'm serious! It really is impossible for me to imagine you wearing anything other than a three piece suit!" 

Levi got an idea in his head as they walked through an underpass. He hadn't realized it, but they'd already been walking on the Highline for awhile now. 

"Alright," he said, stopping to give Eren a challenging look. "I'll prove it to you. I'm going to book a flight to Paris. On my father's grave, I swear I won't wear a suit the entire time I'm there." 

Eren snorted, "You go to Paris? Why the sudden interest?" 

"Well, you always talk about it like it's the most magical place on earth. Can you blame me for wanting to see for myself?" 

Turning to continue walking, Eren called back over his shoulder while smiling. "Has anyone ever told you, you're a very good liar?" 

"All the time," Levi said quietly to himself. It was finally happening. His plan was being set into motion. Now, all Levi had to do was catch himself an Eren fish and reel him in. 

He started after the younger man who was slowly getting further and further ahead of him. Suddenly, it felt like the temperature had dropped twenty degrees. Levi shivered and slipped his jacket back on before catching up to Eren who was waiting for him at the mouth of the tunnel, smiling wide like the cat that got the cream. 

"We're here. Welcome to [The Highline](http://static01.nyt.com/images/2012/08/02/garden/02HIGHLINE_SPAN/02HIGHLINE_SPAN-articleLarge.jpg)." 

[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ38yIDvmZo)

Honestly? Levi was stunned at the sight before him. How had he never known about such a place before? He was thirty-one, has been living in New York his entire life and working in the city for nearly fifteen years. He'd been to his fair share of scenic locations, eaten at the most elegant restaurants and stayed in the fanciest hotels, and yet, nothing could really compare to the beauty that was this above ground old subway line. 

"Pretty cool, huh?" Eren asked, waggling his eyebrows at Levi who still couldn't stop staring at the scene before him. 

"How the fuck do you even know about this place when I didn't even know about it? Shit, I'd never even heard of this place before until now." 

The brunet barked out a laugh, "It's called going out and having a life, Levi." 

"This, coming from the kid who practically did nothing else but follow my annoying little brother around all day, every day?" Levi knew that was a low blow, and Eren's smile was immediately dropping from his face. Damn it. Levi felt so stupid for saying that he could kill himself. 

"Yeah, you're probably right. Honestly, I only know about this place because of a trip I took into the city once back in High School with some of my classmates." Eren started walking down the paved boardwalk and Levi slowly followed him. "I didn't have a lot of friends in school. I never bothered to make any. My life revolved around Jean. I thought he was all I would ever need." 

Okay, Levi wouldn't lie, he felt like puking at that. What Eren saw in his younger spoiled-rotten brother, he could only ever guess. No matter how you sliced it, Jean was a dirt bag. It's just that everyone but Jean and apparently Eren knew it. 

"Anyway, some kids from my class were gonna sneak out one night and go into the city for a party. I ended up going with some kids named Thomas, Mylius, Mina and Samuel. They were the only four out of the group who didn't want to go to the city to party but just because. So, I ended up just walking around Manhattan with them. We got lost but we didn't care. Then, we just stumbled across The Highline and I started coming back ever since." He smiled at Levi warmly, who returned it with a small smile of his own. 

"So, when was the last time you were here?" 

"Oh, man." Eren chuckled. "I think the last time I came here was... my senior year in High school, just a few months before I left for Germany." 

Levi nodded his head at that and they both fell silent again. As they walked down the walkway, Levi noticed all the people who were casually lounging on the raised platform of grass in the garden areas. Some people had their shoes off and Levi curled his lip up in disgust. He hated seeing other people's bare feet. They were disgusting. 

"Look at all these fucking bums." he muttered to himself. Apparently not quietly enough when Eren shook his head with a fond smile. 

"It's a little more crowded than I thought it would be. Come on, I know a good spot where we can just sit and be left alone." 

He grabbed Levi by the hand suddenly and bolted off into a sort of sprint, dragging the older man along behind him. Levi felt his heart skip a beat at the contact. The feel of Eren's hand gripping his own and the heat radiating off him like a portable heat lamp. He was just so warm. So bright. Like the walking personification of the god damn Sunlight. He lead them to a less crowded area, with far more plant life and foliage than Levi cared for. Eren stopped, looked around a bit like a lost puppy, and then seemed to find exactly what he was looking for. 

A little more jogging later, and Eren brought them to a metal bench that was hidden in a dark, quiet corner. There were a few other people sitting on the sparse benches around them, but they were mostly people who were trying to read books or were listening to music. They paid no mind to Eren and Levi's presence. 

Eren sat down first and smiled up at Levi looking a little bit breathless. Or maybe it was Levi that was breathless. He didn't know anymore, he was starting to feel dizzy and a little drunk yet he knew he hadn't had a single drop of alcohol today. Maybe it was just being around Eren like this? Eren had always been so unpredictable and spontaneous, since they were all kids. After catching his breath, Levi took the opposite seat next to Eren and melted into the metal. 

"Aren't you supposed to be taking pictures or something?" Levi murmured, glancing over at Eren who was staring at him with this funny look on his face. 

"What? Oh, yeah, I guess that is what I came here to do." he brought his camera back out from it's bag and messed with all the settings a bit before he started snapping random pictures again. 

Levi looked up at the darkening skies, not having realized they'd been out walking this late. What time was it anyway? It didn't feel like it had been more than an hour and Levi hadn't bothered to look at his watch once the entire time he was with Eren. That was strange. Normally, he was so anal about time. He couldn't remember a time when he wasn't checking his watch every few minutes. He dared to glance at his wrist watch, seeing that it was almost 5:45 pm and the sun was already nearly gone from the sky by now. He'd been gone with Eren for nearly three hours. 

Still, he couldn't really bring himself to care about making it back to the office on time anymore. In fact, all this time he spent with Eren this afternoon made him want to cancel the plans he'd set up for later on this evening as well. He would much prefer this over going to some annoying Broadway musical, having to sit through awful show tunes and then go to another fancy restaurant with over priced food and drinks just to impress this boy who had managed to impress him with nothing but a simple walk through the city, a slice of $1 Pizza bought from a side window of a vandalized building, and this hidden gem of an above ground subway line. Anything Levi had planned for them that night seemed to pale in comparison. 

For now, though, Levi sunk a little lower into the bench and tilted his head back until it was resting on the back of the bench. Closing his eyes, Levi felt the cool early evening breeze brush his cheeks and muss his hair and felt the last bit of warmth from the setting sun in the distance. It felt like it had been so long since he'd last just sat somewhere outside and just... enjoyed the weather. 

"You're smiling." Eren suddenly broke the peaceful silence. 

Levi snapped his eyes open and looked at Eren in confusion, "What?" 

The brunet was staring down at the digital screen of his camera with a soft look on his face. He turned the screen to show Levi that he'd taken yet another picture of the man while he had been resting his eyes, and like Eren had just said, Levi was smiling.

He smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the dumb things Eren and Levi say in this chapter are based off of things my Waifu and I said while we were discussing and looking up streets and shit. True story. We're dumb <3


	8. You don't know how Lucky you are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **You Don't Know How Lucky You Are** by **Keaton Henson**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marco comes back and gets some well deserved screen time! Ah, yes, I do love Marco, guys. Really, I do. I try and incorporate him as much as I can into my fics but sometimes it's easy to have him overshadowed by all the Ereri.
> 
> Anyway, more important convos between the Ackerman Brothers, Jean and Levi!

"Hey," Levi greeted casually upon entering Jean's bedroom the next morning. "How's my favorite little brother doing?" 

"Levi," Jean groaned, face half buried in the mountain of pillows he had surrounding him. "I'm your _only_ little brother." 

"That's not what mom said." Levi smirked. 

Jean lifted his head up from the pillows and Levi crinkled his nose up in disgust at the giant red sheet marks streaking his left cheek. The youngest Ackerman son had been sleeping more than half the time these last couple of days, and Levi briefly wondered if Jean had bathed once since he'd been put on the painkillers Dr. Berner prescribed for him. 

"Ughhh," Jean groaned, voice groggy and rough. "I feel absolutely terrible." 

"Yeah, you look pretty terrible too. Please tell me the nurse has been helping you bathe, at least?" 

"Of course,"

"Good. Then it's safe for me to approach your bedside." 

"Clean freak." Jean muttered. 

"I might be a clean freak but I'm not the idiot laid up in bed with shards of glass stuck in his ass." Levi patted Jean's rear as he approached the bed, causing his younger sibling to hiss and glare back at him. "Where's Marco?" 

Jean tried to turned on his side to face Levi, but it took quite a bit of work and in the end, Levi had to help maneuver him properly. The things an older brother will do for his younger siblings. 

"I sent him home to get some proper sleep. The nurse said he's been here at the Mansion for two days straight. I felt guilty." 

"As you should," Levi grunted with a nod. "Looks like that head of yours isn't only filled with your own selfish desires." 

Jean swatted at Levi's probing hand when the raven-haired man moved it to ruffle his younger brother's hair and smooth down all the cowlicks in his hair. 

"Stop fussing, Levi! You're worse than mom." 

The oldest Ackerman mocked Jean's words with a roll of his eyes. It was awkward, considering Levi's naturally low voice but somehow it earned him a snort of laughter from Jean who shoved at him playfully. 

"Well, how about filling me in on what's been going on these last couple of days I've been in a coma? Is Eren alright? How did the sailing go?" 

"Whoa, easy Sea Biscuit. One question at a time."

His younger brother shot him a glare at the use of his childhood nickname; one that Jean hated with every fiber of his being. It really wasn't his fault that his face was longer than Levi's who had inherited their mother Kuchel's more delicate, petite features. 

"Fine. How did it go when you took him sailing?" he said slowly, through clenched teeth. 

"It went swell." Levi drawled. Jean didn't seem amused by his sarcasm this time around. "What else do you want me to say, Jean? He had a nice time, we listened to music, drank a bit of wine and we..." the older man stopped himself short as he thought back to the somewhat intimate conversation he'd had with Eren back on the sail boat. Call him petty, but Levi didn't feel like sharing any new information he learned about Eren with his younger brother. That was just for him.

"You, what, Levi?" 

"Nothing. We just--talked." 

"About me?" Jean asked hopefully. 

"About you, and lots of other things. Would it surprise you to know he doesn't find me as boring to talk to as you seem to think I am?" 

At that, the younger man snorted loudly. "Yes." 

Levi frowned, "Well, surprise, hotshot." 

A sheepish grin flashed across Jean's face as he shrugged a shoulder halfheartedly. His way of trying to say 'no offense', Levi was sure. Sighing, Levi turned to look out the arched window in Jean's bedroom that was letting in bright, blinding sunlight. It was warm out today. 

"Anyway, Eren stopped by my office in the city yesterday afternoon. We got lunch together." he failed to mention that they also went on a bit of an adventure to the Highline, discussed Levi's (fake) plan to visit Paris, France, and talked about personal things. 

"Were you nice to him?" Jean narrowed his eyes at Levi suspiciously. 

"No, I was the rudest mother fucker to him and he slapped me. Of fucking course I was nice to him, dipshit." Of course, that slap thing was true. Jean didn't need to know that though. Actually, nobody needed to know that. 

"Well, It's hard to tell with you sometimes!" the younger Ackerman son cried. "Your definition of 'nice' is different from normal people!" 

Before the brothers could get into a pointless verbal argument, there was a soft set of knocks on the door before Marco walked in. He was dressed casually in a white button up shirt, a black waistcoat and matching black trousers. The freckled man smiled upon seeing Levi sitting on Jean's bedside, reaching a hand toward Jean's cheek to pinch it. It hung in midair and Levi briefly considered pinching Jean's cheek anyway, as punishment for all the disrespect from earlier, but decided against it when Marco approached Jean's bedside as well. The last thing he needed was for anyone else to see such a childish display of affection. Because that's what it was; affection. Well, mostly. 

"Good morning, Levi. It's nice to see you again." Marco greeted politely. 

Levi acknowledged him with a nod, "Good morning, Marco." 

"Jean, how are you feeling? Are you in any pain? Do you want me to check your dressing?" 

Levi watched as Marco fussed over his younger brother who blushed as the mention of his Fiance checking the dressing Dr. Berner had placed there yesterday came up. It was so clear that Jean was head-over-heels for Marco, which is why Levi couldn't understand why his younger brother would try to throw that all away on a one night fling with Eren? If it were possible, he'd never seen two people more grossly in love than Jean and Marco. They were perfect for each other. 

"Finish telling me about lunch with Eren yesterday, Levi." Jean had been slowly propped up into a chair, with the aid of Marco who brought a cushioned donut for him to sit on.

Silver eyes gave Jean a sharp look that said 'Are-you-fucking-brain-dead?' for mentioning the name Eren in front of his own Fiance. He'd made it very clear the last time he'd come in to see Jean that he wanted the younger Ackerman to keep his big mouth shut and not mention a word about the brunet, but it seems like that was all pointless now. Jean fucked up. Levi could see the slight horror in his brother's eyes as he nervously glanced between Levi and a curious Marco who looked at Levi as well with a sweet smile. 

"Sorry, was I interrupting something? I can leave if that would make you feel better?" Marco was about to rise from his place on the bed and Levi raised one of his hands to stop him. 

"Don't worry about it," he grunted. "It's not a big deal. I was just telling Jean about how I took an old friend of ours out to lunch in the city yesterday." More like Levi was taken out to lunch, if he wanted to get technical. He hadn't exactly planned on having Lunch yesterday, let alone with Eren of all people. 

"Oh, that sounds nice. Where did the two of you go?" the freckled man took his seat again and started running a comb through Jean's mussed hair. The sight of Marco tending to Jean's every whim was gag-worthy. 

"We went to..." Levi hesitated. He couldn't tell them what _actually_ happened. So, he did what Levi Ackerman the businessman did best; he lied. "We went to some new restaurant. I don't remember the name. The service was fucking terrible." 

"I'm sorry to hear that," Marco frowned. "Well, did you at least have a nice time catching up with your friend? Eren, was it?" 

Jean was quiet, surprisingly. Letting Marco ask all the question as he simply tried not to look like he was currently shitting bricks, which he probably was. He'd almost cheated on Marco with the very 'friend' they were talking about. Levi couldn't have been more pleased with himself for stepping in during that party; even if he did get slapped because of it. 

"It was fine." Levi answered curtly. Marco seemed to understand that the topic was now closed for further discussion. 

"Well, that's good at least." once he was finished taming Jean's wild mess of hair, Marco turned and looked at Levi excitedly while intertwining Jean's fingers with his own. "Jean has exciting news." 

"Oh?" Levi arched a thin eyebrow at the overjoyed expression on Marco's tanned face. "First I'm hearing of it."

"Uh, yeah, I didn't tell you?" Jean piped up with a nervous laugh. "Dr. Berner said I should be good to go by Thursday." 

"Well, that was a fast recovery."

"I know!" Marco chirped excitedly. "Dr. Berner said it must be some kind of medical anomaly." 

"Jean's a medical anomaly." Levi mumbled under his breath. 

"Anyway, I'm glad you're here, Levi. I've been meaning to go over the guest list for the wedding with you." 

At the mention of the wedding, Jean was back to looking constipated. Honestly, Levi was starting to think that Jean was only using Eren as a means to escape the idea of commitment. Which was even sadder, because that meant Eren was just being used by both of them. As much as Levi hated to admit it, he felt like the world's biggest jerk for what he was planning to do, but it was all for the sake of everyone's happiness. Eren's especially. At least, that's what he kept trying to tell himself. He still felt a little sick to his stomach whenever he thought about how he'd have to put Eren on a plane to Paris, promising to meet him there, only to have him arrive there all alone and possibly a little betrayed. 

There was no other way for this to end, however. Levi had tried to come up with several other scenarios but none seemed to work. The only way for Eren to get over this lovesickness known as Jean, was to administer a cure, and Levi was that cure. 

"Send the guest list over to my office. I'll look it over as soon as I have the time." Standing up from the bed, Levi smoothed out any wrinkles from his suit and adjusted the knot in his tie before he turned to the intended couple. "Duty calls. Keep out of trouble, and don't give Marco any problems, you little shit." 

Jean pouted at a retreating Levi while Marco bid another polite farewell. Once outside of the Mansion and safely in the backseat of the family's Rolls-Royce, Levi stared out the window and frowned in deep, deep thought. Things were starting to get a little complicated, with Marco back in town and Jean still laid up. Eren hadn't seen Jean since the night of the engagement party, and he was no doubt starting to get restless by now. Levi needed a clever plan to keep Eren away from Jean for as long as possible. 

With that thought in mind, Levi pulled out his phone from his pant pocket and speed dialed Hanji. While they could be a little eccentric and out-there, Levi trusted them with a lot more than he'd ever say out loud. He needed help. 

"Hanji, emergency meeting in my office. I'm having a... Code Teal." 

Grisha shot Levi a questioning look in the rear view mirror, but quickly returned his attention back on the road. 'Code Teal' was a term Hanji had come up with late yesterday evening when Levi had returned to the office. He'd spent all afternoon with Eren, which was much longer than he'd intended but Hanji had teased him about it relentlessly. Considering no one else knew about Levi's plan but Hanji themselves, they were the only ones who could consult Levi on this little problem. 

He was running out of time and even worse, he was running out of ideas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Levi. Doesn't realize he's already got Eren, hook, line and sinker. They'll get there, eventually. 
> 
> ughughughugh, the JeanMarco is strong in this chapter lmao couldn't help myself. I love those two cuties as well!


	9. Does his Love make your head spin?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so, there's a bit of a surprise in this chapter. Not gonna tell you what it is, but just know that Marco (sweet, adorable Marco~) will be making a reappearance in this chapter and will be getting a lot of screen time once again! (I JUST LOVE MARCO OKAY?)

Eren paced the outside corridor in front of Jean's bedroom. He'd been arguing with himself for the past ten minutes if he should go and see the youngest Ackerman son, considering Eren hadn't seen Jean once since the engagement party and he was a little curious to know how the older boy was doing. Levi had said Jean was healing quickly and that he would be better in no time, but somehow, Eren needed to confirm the details for himself. 

Still, something felt... wrong... about going to see Jean without telling Levi, or anyone else for that matter. 

He paced and paced, and paced some more, until finally he resolved with himself: he wouldn't go and see Jean. It was too risky and according to Levi, Jean was sleeping most of the time anyway so there was really no telling if he would even be awake to see Eren or even know that he had been there. 

Just as he turned to descend the staircase, the door to Jean's bedroom opened and Eren froze. He could hear indistinct talking, neither voice sounding familiar to him so he could only guess that it was probably the nurse who was watching and caring for Jean. But the other voice, he couldn't figure out at all. Were there two nurses? Change of shifts maybe?

"Oh," a soft, polite voice said from behind him. "Excuse me, were you here to see Jean?" 

Eren quietly cursed under his breath as he slowly turned to see who was addressing him. He was met with warm brown eyes, tanned skin with a good smattering of freckles across the young man's face and dark raven hair neatly cut and groomed. The other man was slightly taller than him, which Eren only noticed because the other man took a couple of steps towards him and smile. And it was like a ray of light beamed down around him and a choir a singing. Okay, Eren was exaggerating. But seriously, there was just something very... pure about looking at this guy. 

"Uh, well, yes but, I can come back again later if he's sleeping." the brunet fumbled to say, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. He didn't understand why he felt like he did when he was seven and Levi caught him climbing onto a chair to steal cookies from the kitchen. "Are you his nurse?" 

The freckled man chuckled softly, "Well, I guess I might as well be, but, no. I'm Jean's Fiance, Marco Bodt." 

_Oh._ Eren realized, with a sinking feeling in his gut, this was the guy Jean was engaged to. That's why he felt like he'd suddenly been caught red-handed. Well, it's not like Eren was doing anything _wrong_ , per say. But somehow, he still felt like this Marco guy could probably read all his thoughts and he felt so ashamed of himself all of a sudden. 

"Are you a friend of Jean's?" Marco asked sweetly. 

Eren could only swallow thickly, "Um, yeah. Just call me Eren." 

"Oh!" Marco suddenly chirped. "You're the friend Levi was talking about going to lunch with. It's so nice to finally meet a friend of Levi and Jean's!" he surged forward and grabbed Eren by the hand in a gentle grip, shaking it earnestly. 

Caught a bit off-guard by what Marco said, Eren shook his hand back awkwardly. 

"Levi was talking about me?" he heard himself ask with a smile.

"Yes. He mentioned you both had lunch and caught up. Something about not having seen you for awhile." 

"Oh, uh, yeah. I just got back from Germany a few days ago. I was gone for four years." 

"Germany! What part? Oh, gosh. I'm sorry, Eren. I didn't mean to start chattering away. Did you wanna go see Jean? He's sleeping but you could still go in and sit if you'd like." 

"No!" Eren refused a bit to quickly. "Um, I mean, there's really no point. If he's sleeping, that's fine. I'll let him rest up and talk to him later." 

"Well, if you're really sure then." Marco said, a sympathetic look in his eyes. "Would you mind if we sat somewhere and talked then? If you're not busy, that is." 

Eren felt fear strike him cold. Why would Jean's Fiance want to sit and talk with him? He didn't even _know_ Eren and Eren sure as hell didn't know him. What did he want to talk about with a complete and total stranger who Levi mentioned briefly? Still, Eren didn't want to come off as rude or suspicious. So, he nodded his head slowly. 

"Great!" Marco led Eren into a slow paced walk toward the west sitting room. A room Eren was familiar with, since it was the room he always used to find Jean or Levi stuck in whenever they had to study for school. Kuchel Ackerman was strict when it came to her son's and their educations. Eren smiled to himself as he remembered how scary Mrs. Ackerman could be whenever Jean tried to skip out on studying. He couldn't clearly remember if Levi ever got in trouble for skipping out on homework. Probably not. Levi was Mr. Perfect, after all. "So, Eren. You said you've been in Germany for four years? What were you doing there?" 

"I was attending college in Berlin. My parents are both originally from there." 

Marco was surprisingly polite, letting Eren enter the sitting room first before following after him. He kept smiling and nodding his head as he listened to Eren talk, but Eren could only force a pained smile as he still couldn't shake his nerves. Just what the hell did Marco want with him? Was he doing to warn Eren to stay away from his Fiance? Did he know that he and Jean almost...? No. No. Eren knew he wasn't guilty of anything. He hadn't actually done anything with Jean. Not _really_. 

"That's nice. What did you major in?" 

"Photography." 

"Oh? You're a photographer?" 

"Yes," Eren said, confidence lacing his voice. "I went to Paris for a few months and interned with VOGUE while I was still studying in Germany. It's what I'd like to do for a living."

Marco seemed to light up at the mention of Paris, "I love visiting Paris in the summer! I have family in Belgium, but whenever I'd go to visit them I'd always try to sneak a little trip to Paris if I could." 

The younger brunet relaxed just a bit, smiling a little more easily now that he found a topic to talk comfortably about with Marco who seemed overjoyed to know that Eren had been to Paris himself. 

"Some of my fondest memories are in Paris." 

Nodding, Marco continued. "It's odd that Jean says he's never been there before, yet he's french on his mother's side and even speaks it a little bit. Not very well, but he does speak it." 

Eren chuckled, knowing exactly what Marco meant. "Levi says the same thing, actually. That despite being french and speaking it, the longest he's ever been in Paris was 35 minutes to change planes." 

"That's terrible," Marco sighed with a fond expression. "We'll both have to convince them to go one day. It's mandatory." 

"Agreed." 

"So, how long have you known Levi and Jean? They said you were an old friend." 

Ah, now, here was where Eren knew he had to tread carefully. Although, there was really nothing for him to hide. It's not like he had any kind of secret history of romance with Jean, other than crushing on him hopelessly since he was around nine or ten. That hardly counted as anything in Eren's book but Marco might not see it that way. 

"I've known the both of them my entire life. My dad is the family's Chauffeur and my mother was their cook." he explained, voice strong and never faltering. Eren never once felt ashamed of telling other people that his father was a humble Chauffeur or that his mother was a simple cook. His father loved his job and took pride in it, as did his mother, and so would Eren. "So, yeah, I guess I am a very old friend." 

Marco only nodded his head in understanding, "That's makes sense," he hummed. "Jean and Levi both seem very fond of you. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about finally meeting you, Eren." the freckled man smiled sheepishly. 

Eren furrowed his brows in confusion, "What do you mean?" 

"Well, I don't want to put anyone on the spot but Levi talked about you rather fondly this morning. I haven't known Levi personally for a very long time but since the engagement he's been nothing but kind. As you know, though, he can be a bit... distant. I didn't get that feeling from him this morning when he was talking about going to lunch with you. I figured, anyone who could get Levi to regard them fondly was probably a really great person. Turns out I was right." 

The brunet felt his cheeks warm at everything Marco was saying. Levi had done what? He felt like his head was spinning. This was all so much information to take in. He was surprised that Levi was even bothering to talk about him in the first place. He always thought he annoyed the older man. Yet, everything Marco was telling him contradicted everything Eren ever thought about Levi. Well, maybe not everything. But it changed a lot of things. 

"Eren? Are you alright?" Marco asked, smiling but slightly concerned. "I'm sorry. Did I make you uncomfortable?" 

"What? Oh, no! No, it's not that. I'm just surprised, I guess." he laughed nervously. "Levi's always been distant and serious. It's only recently that we've gotten close. I've known him all my life but Levi's always been so busy and focused on school and the company. As a kid, I used to be very afraid of him." 

At this, Marco seemed thoughtful as he regarded Eren. "I can see that," he nodded. "But what about now? Are you still afraid of him?" 

Eren had to actually stop to give that question some thought. Was he still afraid of Levi? 

"Sometimes I think I still am. But then he goes and says something that changes everything I've ever thought about him and next thing I know, we're going out to lunch for $1 Pizza and joking around like it's no big deal. It's strange." 

He wasn't sure why he'd just confided in Marco about Levi all of a sudden. Normally, these were things he'd only ever discuss with Mikasa or Armin, but Marco just had this sort of calming affect about him. Like you could tell him anything and he'd just accept you and listen. 

"Levi is a bit strange, I suppose." Marco laughed. "But I think you might be mistaking that fear for something else, Eren." 

"Like what?" 

"That, I'm afraid would be considered a spoiler." 

Smiling a little wider, Eren relented. "Fine. What about you? How did you and Jean meet? Not to sound put out, but everyone has yet to tell me about the engagement and how it all went down." truth be told, Eren hadn't wanted to hear about it. But now, sitting here talking to Marco and realizing how great he was, he felt like he should at least know that much. 

"Well," Marco started out nervously. "It's probably not as romantic as you might think it should have been. To be honest, I've always sort of... liked Jean. Even before we started dating." With that, Eren could understand. "He first asked me out at a benefit we were having for a Children's hospital. My family was hosting it and Jean was there. I couldn't possibly turn him down, even though Jean did have a terrible rep for being a playboy. I thought, 'it's okay if he dumps me afterwards. I got my chance.' and to my surprise, we ended up hitting it off right away." 

Eren swallowed thickly, but nodded his head to show Marco that he was listening. Aside from his heart fluttering a bit, Eren wasn't feeling as affected as he thought he was going to be while listening to Marco talk about Jean and how they first got together. In fact, he was starting to think the reason his heart was still palpitating was due to the fact that he was still feeling faint butterflies from learning the fact that Levi had been talking about him. Still, he did his best to listen to Marco as he spoke. 

"The engagement was a surprise, honestly. It happened before either of us knew about it and right away it was obvious my dad had set it up. I wasn't angry, though. Honestly, I was a bit worried that Jean would be angry with me and break it off thinking that I had planned it. Luckily, he was nothing but understanding. He officially asked me to marry him at the cottage his family owned one evening that we went out there to be alone. Of course, I accepted." Eren could see the way Marco's cheeks darkened at his memory of Jean's proposal. Once again, no traces of jealousy were found but he still felt a piece of him ache at the thought of how genuine Marco was. He couldn't believe he'd almost ruined his engagement over a childhood dream. Marco didn't deserve that. 

"That's... definitely a unique story." Eren admitted, earning a laugh from the freckled man. 

"Yes, it is. But at least we don't have to worry about having a cliche proposal story like everyone else." At that, Eren could agree. It was definitely different from other proposal stories he'd heard. "What about you, Eren? Dating anyone?" 

"No, not really. I kind of just got out of a long-term relationship with a guy I was dating in Berlin." 

"Oh," Marco deflated, suddenly looking genuinely sorry about hearing that Eren was single. Gosh, was this guy a saint or something? Was there really anyone this kind and sweet in the world? Apparently there was and his name was Marco Bodt. "I'm sorry to hear that, Eren. But hey, don't worry. With eyes like those, I bet you've got tons of people lining up to date you." 

Eren could only laugh weakly at that. Nothing could possibly be farther from the truth. He sat and talked with Marco about Paris and Germany for another hour, and at the end of their surprisingly friendly conversation, Eren felt like the lowest of the low. Scum of the earth. Marco had turned out to be so painfully nice and handsome and polite and just everything Eren wasn't. He couldn't possibly imagine a more perfect person to be worthy of marrying his first love, even if he'd picked them himself. Marco was an angel. A literal Angel. Eren would bet a fortune that underneath his clothes, Marco probably had the most adorable little white angel wings and a halo that hovers over his head with a fucking choir and spotlight to follow him around wherever he goes, fulfilling good deeds. 

There was no way he could compare to that. And it was in that moment, that Eren realized he _had_ to stop trying to pursue Jean. After meeting Marco, there was just no way he could ever live with himself knowing that he'd been the cause of a failed engagement to a guy as sweet and kind as Marco Bodt. His mother would probably be so ashamed of him if she knew what he had almost done just a few nights ago, but now that he'd met Marco and gotten to know him a bit, he was so grateful that Levi had stopped him.

Now, Eren had to start learning to move on from the once great love of his life. Although, he had a feeling it probably wouldn't be as hard as he thought anymore.

\- -

"You want to look for a job and an apartment in the city?!" Petra squawked.

Eren had come down seeking familiar company, and he'd found it when he ventured into the estate's main kitchen and found Petra busy making lunch along with Eld, Gunther and Oluo who had stopped in to have lunch of their own before heading back to do their jobs. Now, it was just Eren and Petra sitting in the kitchen alone, sharing a slice of cheesecake since Petra wanted to indulge but didn't want to eat it all by herself. She was on a diet, according to her. Eren thought she was crazy. 

"Yeah, I mean, I can't expect to live here at the Ackerman estate my entire life and I sure as hell can't expect my dad to support me financially. I need to get my own life, Petra. I didn't study photography in Berlin for nothing." 

"I thought you went to Berlin to study photography to forget about a certain someone. You-know-who." 

Eren rolled his eyes and playfully shoved the older woman in the shoulder as he cut a large piece of cheesecake and stuffed it into his mouth, causing Petra to pout at him. Now there was less cake for her to eat, but that's what she got for teasing Eren when there was cake involved. 

"That was only like... 80% of the reason I went there."

the younger man pouted around the fork in his mouth.

Petra giggled, "Mm-hmm. Sure. So, have you already more or less figured out where you'd wanna start looking for a job?" 

Eren took the fork out of his mouth and sighed as he set it down. He supposed he could tell Petra what he _really_ wanted to do. Something he had yet to tell his father, or anyone else for that matter. 

"Okay... you can't say anything to anyone." Emerald eyes shot Petra a pointed look and the red-head placed her index finger over her lips with a nod of her head. This was probably going to be a huge mistake. Petra couldn't keep a secret to save her life. "I got offered a job at two different magazines. One is for Teen Vogue here in the city, the other one is for VOGUE in Paris. I haven't given anyone my answer yet because... I'm not sure where I really want to work yet." 

"Eren!!" Petra cried in joy, only to be shushed by the younger man himself. "Oops, sorry. But Eren, that's so great! What is the job for? Photography?" 

"Kind of." Eren slumped forward in his seat. "I'd really be more of an assistant Photographer for whoever is on sight. I mean, nobody would actually hire some fresh-out-college-nobody, but this is still a pretty amazing chance. I'd get to work with some of the best Photographers in the industry, same with designers and models." 

"So, what's the problem, sweetheart? It sounds like you really want to do this either way." 

He fell silent for a few moments, "I can't decide if I wanna stay in New York or not. I mean, sure this is my home and all but, honestly, it's like Levi and my dad said; There's nothing here for me." Petra looked saddened by what he was saying, but the young brunet pushed on. "On the other hand, Paris was where I discovered myself-- found out who I was. I was happy in Paris and Berlin and I do still have some friends there. I could have my own life over there if I chose to go and work for VOGUE. But--"

"But something's still keeping you here and it's not just Jean anymore." 

At that revelation, Eren shot Petra a confused look as she smiled down at him. Placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, the ginger-haired woman patted him a few times. 

"I know I can be a bit of a ditz sometimes, Eren. But I'm not blind and I'm not stupid. I know about you and Levi." 

The younger man sat straighter in his seat, suddenly feeling embarrassed to have Levi brought up in such a personal conversation. Where had that even come from anyway? They were talking about Eren's possible future career and the tough decisions he'd have to make soon. How did Levi suddenly get mixed into it? He just didn't understand and his face must have gave his thoughts away. 

"I'm-- We're not-- Petra, Levi and I are just... friends... I guess." 

"Eren, let me tell you a little story about the first year I spent working for the Ackerman's." Petra moved her chair a little closer to Eren's and she smoothed down the stained apron she was wearing around her waist. "I was only nineteen when I started working here. My dad had gotten the job for me since he was one of the Ackerman's gardeners. I was fresh out of high school and starting College and of course, I could always use the money." Then, she reached a hand toward Eren's left cheek and pinched it gently making the brunet smile. "I remember you were only about eleven when I first started working here. Such a cute little boy. But anyway, Eld and Gunther had already been working here a couple of years by then and they'll vouch for me when I say that, I used to be madly in love with Levi, believe it or not." 

Eren's eyes widened at Petra's confession, "Seriously!?" 

She nodded her head with another giggle, "Weird, right? But, as you probably know, Levi was different when he was younger. He was only twenty at the time. Had just graduated from Yale the year prior and he was just starting out at the Ackerman Company. He was the youngest person on the Board of Directors so he had a lot of responsibilities, but back then, he was much kinder." as Petra reminisced, Eren noticed the way her eyes softened and a fond expression crossed her face. "Eventually, I confessed to him, and he was sweet about it. Hard to believe, I know. Levi being sweet to anyone. But he was very kind about rejecting me and in the end, though I was heartbroken, I understood why he turned me down." 

"Let me guess," Eren scoffed. "He told you it would never work because of his job, right?" 

"No," Petra hummed. "He said it was because he was waiting for someone." 

"Waiting for someone?" 

"Mm-hmm. He wouldn't explain further, but I could definitely see in his eyes that whoever it was he was waiting for was someone very dear and special to him. There was no way I could ever compete with that, so I gave up after that and we've been friends ever since. Maybe not close friends, but we still talk whenever we can."

Eren sat there, soaking in the information Petra had just given him. Levi was waiting for someone? It was the first he'd ever heard of it. The solemn, no-nonsense Levi Ackerman had someone he cared about that much? Maybe Eren wasn't giving Levi enough credit here. Of course, Levi was human just as everyone else. Despite his cold, detached attitude toward most things and people, he still felt emotion like every other person in the world. He was just bad at showing it. 

"I find it odd that I have to explain this to you, Eren. Considering you've grown up around Levi and Jean all your life. I thought you of all people would know those two brothers best."Petra stood up from the table and gathered their dishes to be washed, leaving Eren to sit there and truly ponder on that. 

Why didn't he know Levi as well as he should? Petra was right. He should know lots and lots about the older man, considering they more or less lived under the same roof most of the time, yet for some reason, any memories of Levi when he was younger was nowhere to be found. It was like a chunk of Eren's memories were missing, but it was only the ones that concerned Levi. 

"I don't know," Eren mused out loud, still a little deep in thought. "I guess I've just always been too busy obsessing over Jean to notice Levi that much. Lately, though, it's hard to ignore Levi's presence. Especially with all the time we've been spending together recently. It's odd." 

"What is?"

"How... comfortable I am around Levi. When I was younger, I always did my best to avoid him at any cost. Something about him just always filled me with a sense of fear. But, now-- it's like something's changed, but I have no idea what and it's driving me crazy!" 

"Actually, now that you mention it, I do remember how you'd always run away from Levi whenever you saw him coming. I always wondered why but figured it was just how you were. Why did you run away from Levi all the time, Eren?" Petra had finished washing the dishes and was drying her hands on her apron as she joined Eren back at the table. 

"I-- I don't remember." with a sigh, Eren slumped his upper body onto the table top and buried his head in his arms. He could feel Petra carding her fingers through his hair and the act itself was calming. Petra was the closest thing to a sister or a mother he had. "I know there was definitely a good reason for why I was so afraid of him but... I can't remember for the life of me." 

"Hey, don't worry about it so much." Petra laughed softly. "The important thing is, your relationship with Levi is getting better." 

"I guess." 

"Speaking of relationships," Oh, no. Eren knew that tone. He lifted his head and noticed the mischievous glint in Petra's honey brown eyes. "Spill it, kiddo. I wanna know everything you and Levi have been doing on these so called "dates" the two of you have been going on. 

Eren drew out a long groan, "They're not dates, Petra! Jeez!" 

"Don't you try and lie to me, Eren M. Jaeger! I know for a fact that the tips of your ears turn red whenever you're lying. Now, spill!" 

And spill Eren did. Though, he'd probably regret it later. Petra was, after all, the estate's biggest gossip. Still, as he told Petra about all the things he and Levi had done over the past three days, he found himself wanting to see the older man again very soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all kind of important, but I do apologize for the lack of Levi in here. He's mentioned several times though, so there's that lol
> 
> Also, I just wanna say this now: 
> 
> **For anyone who reads this chapter and then proceeds to leave pointless comments with character hate (or even the bashing of certain characters), I will not hesitate to delete your comments because they are a waste of my fucking time and everyone else's. If you don't like a certain character, then that's too fucking bad. Get over it. But don't leave comments bashing that character on my fic. I'm getting real tired of reading comments from people saying they hate so-and-so because honestly, I couldn't care any less about who you hate or don't like.**
> 
> I'm sorry I had to leave this long ass warning on one of my fics. I hate doing shit like because I feel like I shouldn't have to, but recently I've been getting a lot of character hate, specifically for this fic and I'm getting so tired of it. So, to my other readers, I'm fucking sorry and thanks for reading and supporting me. But it had to be said.


	10. How Will I Know (If you really love me)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **How Will I Know - Sam Smith (Cover)**

"You have to tell him, Levi." 

"Tch, tell him what, Hanji? That everything up until now has been a lie? Get real." 

"You can't _seriously_ plan to go through with this! It's-it's cruel and inhuman!" 

Hanji threw their hands up in the air in defeat, groaning long and loud as they plopped back into the seat situated in front of Levi's glass desk. It had been a long morning of meeting after meeting, and Levi hadn't had the chance to speak with Hanji about Eren until just now and it was far past lunch hour. He'd called them early that morning and requested an emergency meeting to discuss plans of how to keep Eren busy, but it was now 4:38 pm and there wasn't much time left in the work day. Soon, Hanji would be packing up to leave and Levi would stay behind and work late, as usual. 

"It's life, Hanji. And it's business." 

"Levi," Hanji said, their voice uncharacteristically soft and concerned. "I've known you a long time and worked for you for a long time. This-- you would never do something so heartless."

Levi sat back in his chair, sinking deeper and deeper into the leather little by little. It was bad enough he felt like shit about leading Eren on like this for the sake of a merger, he didn't need Hanji making him feel even worse for it. The longer this whole plan dragged out, the more Levi found himself dreading the final stage; breaking Eren's heart. 

It was obvious they'd gotten quite close these last few days and Levi would be the first one to shamefully admit that he enjoyed every second spent with that bright eyed kid. There was a special place in hell for people like him. 

"Please tell me you're reconsidering." Hanji asked, still not willing to let this matter go until they'd drilled it into Levi's head just how wrong this was. 

"Of course, I am, Four-eyes. I know people like to think I'm heartless but I'm the furthest thing from it. I just-" Levi sighed, rubbing at his temples. "I thought I'd gotten over how fond I used to be of Eren. As a kid, before he went all goo-goo eyes for Jean, he used to love spending time with me. And then... I don't know, something happened and suddenly he was afraid to be anywhere near me. It happened a long time ago, and I doubt Eren even remembers it, but it still bothers me to this day. I've spent the last thirteen years pushing Eren to the back of mind, deciding that not associating myself with the kid would be for the best but... Damn, if these last couple of days haven't been the happiest days of my life, and it's all a fucking sham." the raven-haired man let out a dry, humorless laugh and Hanji smiled sadly at him. 

"Why won't you just admit it, short stuff? You're nuts for that kid." 

Levi was a silent for a long moment as he stared down at his hands in his lap. He seemed to be deep in thought, opening his mouth once as if to say something but then slowly closing it again until he was frowning. 

"It doesn't matter whether I'm nuts for him or not. He's made it very clear that Jean is the one he's always wanted and will always want. It's been that way since he was nine-years-old." 

"Feelings change, Levi. You'd be surprised how quickly the heart of someone Eren's age changes. It's like the wind."

"That was strangely poetic, for you." Levi scoffed. 

"I can be poetic, when I wanna be." 

With that, Hanji smiled proudly and stood up from their seat, showing themselves out of Levi's office. This left Levi alone to his thoughts the next two hours. He didn't get an ounce of work done, which, a week ago would have bothered the hell out of him. Today, he couldn't give less of a shit. Around 6 pm, there was a soft knocking on his office doors and Levi grunted out a gruff "Come in."

The sound of a door opening and clicking shut softly, hesitant foot shuffling and eventually an awkward clearing of the throat is what it took before Levi finally directed his attention toward the double doors of his executive suite. 

There, Eren stood smiling shyly at the older man with a manila envelope held against his chest with one hand. He had his hair tied back into a messy short pony tail, his bangs a mussed mess hanging over his eyes. He was also wearing a pair of rather thick looking glasses and Levi couldn't help but raise a curious brow at the younger man's messy but smart appearance. Without much thought, Levi felt the corners of his lips tilt upward before he addressed the slightly nervous youth.

"Eren," he called, voice low and affectionate. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?" He could have swore he heard Eren gulp from the other side of the room.

"Is, uh, this a bad time?" the brunet took another couple of hesitant steps forward before his posture straightened, like he suddenly realized he was acting ridiculously timid and was trying to muster up more confidence. Levi could see right through his rouse, however. "I was going to stop by at lunch time, but I got busy with other things." 

Levi stood up from his desk and walked closer toward him, waving a hand over toward the luxurious plush couches situated on the far left of his office, overlooking the view he had of the city from the large picture window. It was a slightly more cozy and comfortable setting; less intimidating compared to the rest of his modern, impeccably spotless office. The couches were a deep chocolate brown with a simple but classy glass coffee table situated in front of it. Hanji had added the vase full of fresh flowers, insisting it would brighten Levi's office up a bit. They always used a different type of flower each day; today the flower of choice was a single white lily. 

"In case you haven't noticed, the work day is over. Everyone in the building clocked out at 5 pm." When Eren didn't sit, Levi took the initiative and plopped himself down on the comfy worn leather in a very ungraceful move. "Don't just stand there looking like you need to take a shit, Eren. Sit down. I'm pretty much done for the day anyway." 

"Um," Eren smiled nervously, fiddling with the manila envelope in his hands before he finally took a seat on the farthest end from Levi on the couch. "I don't really have an important reason to be here, but, I developed the film from my camera from yesterday and thought you'd like to see the photos I took." 

He slid the envelope across the leather toward Levi who eyed it for a moment before his eyes slowly trailed upward, tracing the arm that was connected to a rather nicely built shoulder and his eyes continued to wander. He hadn't noticed when the brunet had walked in, but despite Eren's messy pony tail and the thick glasses, the brunet was actually dressed in a rather appealing black button up, sleeves rolled up halfway with a pair of dark grey slacks. It was still casual, but a little too dressy for just delivering some photos to Levi. 

"There isn't going to be like ten photos of me looking shitty all blown up in here, is there? Because if there is, I'll have to burn every single one of them." 

Eren chuckled softly as Levi finally picked the envelope up gingerly, pinching the metal tabs to open the flap. He reached a slender hand in and grabbed a small handful of photographs, carefully taking them out to be analyzed closely. Eren said nothing as he allowed Levi to simply browse the photos. 

There weren't very many, about ten to twelve if Levi had to guess. The first couple of photos were candid shots of Park Ave, Levi remembered Eren taking these specific photos right after they'd stepped out of his office to start their 'walk' to the Highline. The next few photos were of some birds taking flight into the sky which was painted with rich reds, pinks and oranges. They were great shots, and even someone without a single ounce of knowledge about Photography could probably appreciate the lighting and the angles of each scenic photo Eren took. It was like you were standing in the Photographer's shoes at that very moment and feeling every emotion they felt while shooting that particular photo. Eren truly had a gift. 

When he flipped to the next photo, Levi heard himself let out a strange noise. A cross between a strangled cough and a laugh. Or maybe it was an attempt to scoff but it turned into a groan toward the end. Regardless, Eren seemed to know exactly which set of pictures Levi had come across. 

"You see. I told you they wouldn't look bad. Personally, I think those two are my favorites out of the entire set." 

Levi shook his head as he stared down at one photo, the first photo Eren shot of him, where he was staring ahead a bit blankly. His thin brows were furrowed deeply and Levi was a bit surprised to see that at the angle Eren took the photo from, he could see the sharp definition of his jawline and even how prominent his cheekbones were. It was a very nice profile shot of him, he had to admit. Levi never liked how he came out in pictures, but Eren seemed to have a gift for turning even the most blase things into something interesting and beautiful to look at. 

"Not bad," he hummed, nodding his head in approval slightly. 

The next photo was one Levi didn't even realize had been taken. It was obviously him in the frame, but Levi hardly recognized himself at all. He knew it had been taken at the Highline. The darkening sky in the background, the soft artificial lighting, the fact that Levi wasn't wearing his blazer anymore. He was sitting casually on a bench, his head tilted skyward, eyes closed and a soft, peaceful expression on his face. He looked like the very definition of calm and relaxed, and that surprised the hell out of him. 

"How the hell did you even-" Levi started, glancing up at a smug looking Eren. "Well, fuck me." he sighed, smirking. "You're one hell of a photographer, kid." 

"Told ya!" Eren sang with a huge grin. "You're a lot more photogenic than you think you are. I'd love to shoot more photos of you sometime, if you'd let me." 

"Whoa there, cowboy. Buy a girl dinner first, would you?" 

The brunet laughed, swatting Levi on the shoulder gently. 

"Hey," Eren said, sweet smile turning into something a little more mischievous and sly. "Wanna get out of here and go get a drink somewhere?" 

"I could use a drink." Levi nodded. "But no nightclubs. I refuse to even go near one." 

"Figured you'd say that," the younger man stood up from his seat and reached behind his head to remove the tie that was holding all his hair back. "Don't worry, I know a great place we can go to for a drink. No stupidly loud music, no annoying douche bags, and definitely no drunk college kids puking all over each other in the bathrooms."

Levi watched, enjoying the view of Eren standing in all his perfect glory as he shook out his hair and removed the glasses that had previously been perched on the bridge of his nose. It was like watching a cute caterpillar go through metamorphosis right before his very eyes, emerging a beautiful butterfly. Eren looked attractive before, but now he was beyond gorgeous. 

"Dress code?" Levi asked, curious to know just where Eren planned on taking him. 

"You'll be fine wearing what you're wearing. Just, lose the tie and pop a few buttons and it'll be perfect." 

And here Levi was once more, being sucked into the whirlwind that was Eren Jaeger. It seemed no matter how much Levi tried to resist, once Eren batted those long eyelashes at him and smiled his way, Levi was puddy in the kids hands. 

Just then, Eren turned back and smirked down at him. "How do you feel about Jazz music?"

\- -

Surprisingly, the place Eren brought him to was nice as hell. Maybe not the fanciest or high class in the least, but it was just nice enough for Levi's approval. At first, when Eren had asked how he felt about Jazz music, Levi worried that Eren had planned to take him to some smokey lounge with barely enough light to see each other's faces and weirdos walking around wearing vintage zoot suits and fedoras while wearing sunglasses indoors.

To his pleasure, Levi was led to a small, very inconspicuous bar by the name of 'The Wall'. It was a club, but not your usual club. First of all, it had absolutely no flash, from the outside at least. It was located in a small, older building that was crammed between two bigger older buildings. Constructed of very old, very faded brick, the building was less than pleasing to look at. The only indication that there was anything worth going inside for was the small neon sign with the words 'The Wall' scrawled out hanging over the small entrance, which was really just an old, beat up metal door with more dents in it than Levi cared to count. At least there wasn't any graffiti to be found.

The inside, however, was a much different story. To Levi's surprise, the place wasn't smokey in the least. In fact, as soon as he walked in, crisp, cool air slapped him in the face along with the smell of mint and liquor. The walls were also made of the same old brick as the outside, but it had been covered in tasteful pieces of monochromatic art, photography and pin ups of men and women from the 30's and 40's. The lighting was minimal, but not so much that Levi couldn't see three feet in front of his face. The bar was well lit, and along the walls were large alcoves with booths situated comfortably within them for plenty of privacy. 

The entire bar was bathed in dark reds, earthy browns and rich golds and there were some simple round tables with elegant metal chairs situated sparsely throughout the open space of the building. As they entered, Levi noticed the small handful of people dancing in a large open space that was obviously the designated dance floor. There were several people sitting at the bar, minding their own business and chatting among themselves and their companions. The music was kept at a tolerable level; just loud enough to be heard but not loud enough to where Levi couldn't hear himself think at all. 

Eren smiled at him as they approached the bar, "Nice, right?" 

"Well," Levi mumbled. "It's definitely not what I was expecting. I guess, it's not horrible." 

"Great! Then lets get some alcohol in you!"

Reaching the bar, Eren smiled at the attractive bartender who smiled back. He was tall, with platinum blond hair slicked back again his head. His eyes were a light shade of brown and the way he openly admired Eren's physique made jealousy simmer low in Levi's belly. He fought down the strongest urge to wrap a protective arm around the younger man's waist, but even Levi would admit to that being a little weird. 

"Can I get a Seven and Seven and one Bourbon, neat?" 

The bartender's smile grew wider as he leaned across the bar top, "Of course, beautiful." 

Eren smiled back but said nothing. Instead, he boldly turned to face Levi and reached for his hand. Levi felt the shiver that ran through him when large, warm fingers laced with his all the way down to his very toes. Bright green eyes gazed back into his with a certain twinkle of fondness and Eren smiled timidly. Their fingers were intertwined lightly at first, and Levi could tell that Eren was unsure of what he'd just done. Not wanting to lose the contact, he smoothly closed the remaining gap between their hands, squeezing Eren's hand a bit tighter and loving the way the brunet's cheeks warmed a lovely shade of red. 

When the Bartender finished with their drinks, he noticed the their linked hands and smiled at the both of them. He smoothly slid the glasses across the spotless bar top and sent a wink Levi's way. Any jealousy or resentment Levi felt toward the friendly bartender was immediately gone, and the older man gave a subtle nod in response before they both grabbed their drinks. Eren was quick to start leading Levi toward a corner booth, their hands still linked. 

"What do you think of this place so far?" 

Eren slid into the leather seats first, setting his drink down on the coasters that had been set out on the table tops. Levi was starting to like this place more and more by the minute. He slid in right after the brunet, having no choice really when Eren was still gripping his hand and practically dragging him around like a rag doll. Even after they were both situated in the booth and casually sipping their drinks, their hands never once parted. It filled Levi's heart to the brim. 

"Like I said, it's not bad. How the fuck do you keep surprising me with all these places I've never heard of? I'm starting to think I don't know New York City nearly as well as I should." 

"Honestly? I didn't learn about this place until just today. I told you I was busy with other things today." Eren flashed him a cheeky grin as he took a quick sip of his drink. "I was wandering around for a bit while I was waiting for my pictures to be developed and I stumbled across this place. It was closed for business hours, obviously, but I thought I'd take a chance and bring you here. Looks like it turned out alright." 

Levi couldn't help but scoff, "You're fucking crazy, Eren. What if this had turned out to be some weird sex club?" 

"Do sex clubs bother you?" 

Suddenly, Eren's voice had dropped to a low tone, almost a seductive purr and Levi gulped. When had they gotten so close? Levi could practically feel the way Eren's body heat radiated off him in waves, warming him up to the very core. Or maybe that was just the alcohol talking? He hadn't even had one whole drink yet and Levi was already feeling dizzy. 

"Not particularly." 

"Well, then I don't see the problem." the atmosphere changed once more, like a flip had been switched, and Eren was grinning widely at him losing all traces of that kittenish behavior he'd been displaying before. Silently, Levi was grateful. The last thing he needed was to be seduced into sleeping with the kid. That would only make this entire situation worse. "So, have you figured out what you're going to do once you're in Paris?" 

"Not really. I thought maybe I'd just wing it." 

Eren sighed with a shake of his head, "Don't be an ass, Levi." 

"What? I was being serious. Wasn't it you who was telling me just yesterday to lighten up?" 

"Well, yeah!" the brunet laughed. "But you can't just go to Paris without knowing the basic rules of what you should do on your first day there!" 

Resting a cheek in the palm of his hand, Levi tilted his head and smiled a bit at the brunet who was staring at him like he had suddenly gone insane. 

"Okay, Mr. Know-it-all. Tell me _exactly_ what I should do in Paris on my first day there." 

Eren set his drink down on the coaster, tapping his chin with a finger as he looked at Levi thoughtfully. Then, he smirked. 

"Alright, here's what you have to do no matter what your very first day in Paris." He turned in his seat to face Levi properly. "As soon as you get off the plane, you get yourself some rain. Not a drizzle or a light shower, but a good heavy shower of rain. That's when Paris smells it's sweetest." 

"Sweet?"

Eren nodded his head with a small little grin, "It's because of the damp chestnut trees." He scooted a little closer to Levi, who didn't mind the closer contact. He could smell the alcohol on Eren's breath. "Then, you find yourself someone nice to show you around. And no briefcases or umbrellas; there's a law." 

Levi shook his head, smiling to himself. "How will I ever get along without you to guide me, Eren?" He also moved an inch or two closer to the brunet who watched his movements with interest. Eren's eyes lingering on Levi's hand that was gently caressing his, occasionally looking up into smoldering grey eyes only to coyly look away again. "Who will help me with my french?" the older man purred in a low tone. 

At that, Eren chuckled softly. "Nice try," he smirked. "But I know you're fluent in french and probably way better at speaking it than I am." 

" _Je ne parle pas bien français._ " ( _I don't speak french well._ ) At Eren's eye roll, Levi flashed a smug smirk of his own. 

"Yeah? _Pouvez-vous parler plus lentement?_ " ( _Could you speak slower?_ )

" _Avec plaisir._ " ( _With pleasure._ ) Levi lowered his voice an octave and he enjoyed the way Eren reacted to the change. His adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed thickly, and the way he slightly parted his lips before he eventually started gnawing on the bottom part. It was clear he wanted to do so much with Levi.

Then, the moment was broken when Eren suddenly moved back a bit, turning to sit in the booth properly. Levi didn't bother to overthink why that disappointed him. The last he needed was to create sexual tension between the two of them. He had to remind himself that this was all fake. None of it was real. As soon as he got Eren to agree to go away to Paris with him, his job would be done and he'd have absolutely no reason to do any of this with Eren ever again. They'd go their separate ways and Eren would go back to despising him which was the way it was supposed to be. 

"Um, I almost forgot to mention it to you but, I met Jean's Fiance today." 

Levi was grateful he hadn't taken a sip of his drink just then, because he was positive he probably would have spit it right back out or choked on it. 

"Marco?" 

"Mm. He caught me outside of Jean's bedroom. I was just about to leave when he came out and saw me."

The burning feel of jealousy was back, as well as the sinking feeling he always got whenever Eren started talking about his little brother in his presence. Still, this new information was something to worry about. Eren had apparently been unable to stay away from Jean any longer and had stopped by to visit him. Levi felt like he was right back at square one; What was all this hard work for if none of it was helping? With a sour taste in his mouth, Levi frowned down at his glass and swirled the contents of it around distractedly. 

"Did you...?" Levi let the question hang in the air, not really sure what he was trying to ask Eren himself. 

"Did I go in and see Jean? No. I decided it was probably a bad idea in the end, but I didn't get a chance to make my great escape before Marco came out of his room and caught me trying to go back down the stairs." Eren laughed before throwing back the rest of his drink. He lifted a hand into the air and motioned for the bartender to get him another Seven and Seven and eventually, Levi did the same. 

The amount of relief Levi felt wash over him after he heard Eren say that he thought visiting Jean was a bad idea was ridiculous. But his formerly tense body relaxed once more and he finished off what was left of his Bourbon. Before long, they were both well into their second drink. 

"Is it weird that I actually ended up really liking Marco?" It sounded like Eren wasn't really directly asking Levi but was asking the question even to himself. 

Regardless, Levi answered. "Not really. Marco Bodt has that effect on people." 

Eren groaned, "Why'd he have to be so nice and sweet?" 

Levi could only shrug, "That's just how Marco is. His dad's a total bastard, but his son is a god damn angel." 

"Right!?" The brunet groaned again, loudly this time. He slumped back into the high leather backing of the seat and smiled ruefully into his glass of alcohol. "I thought I was so sure about what I wanted. Now, I'm not even sure if I want to stay here in New York or go back to Paris or even Berlin." 

That immediately caught Levi's interest, "What do you mean?" he asked, genuinely curious. 

Eren was quiet for a long moment, still staring into his glass, watching the condensation roll down the side of it and onto the coaster where it was magically absorbed by the cork-underside. Then, he smiled again, less rueful this time and more fond and nostalgic. Levi silently watched him as he heard a band start up in the background. The soft notes of a Piano floated through the air, followed by the mellow yet strong vocals of a male singer. 

[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z2VdX8Z38I)

' ♩ Oh, it's you, I know  
You're the one I dream of  
Looks into my eyes,  
takes me to the clouds above

Oh, I lose control  
Can't seem to get enough  
When I wake from a dream  
Tell me, is it really love? ♩

"Hey," he chuckled. "Do you remember that one time you got after me for trying to steal cookies that my mom had just made in the kitchen? I think I was like... seven and you were like sixteen, and you promised not to tell my mom if I promised not to eat the cookies before dinner."

Levi was a little taken aback by the sudden change of topic, but he decided just to go with it. If it meant keeping Eren comfortable and talking, he was fine with taking a walk down memory lane. 

"I do," He nodded his head. "I also clearly remember you not listening to what I said and you got a stomach ache from eating all those cookies ten minutes later." 

Eren's laughter grew louder as he seemed to remember that as well. 

"Mom was so angry with me. She yelled at me in German for five minutes before she picked me up in her arms and started rubbing my back after I'd puked up all those damn cookies. To this very day I can't stand the smell of oatmeal cookies." 

The older man chuckled as he swirled the last of his drink around in his glass. Remembering the very much missed Mrs. Jaeger had Levi remembering just how hard it was on a young nine year old Eren. It was right around the time when the boy started fearing him, all because of a stupid mistake that Levi made; a mistake he regretted to this very day.

' ♩ How will I know if you really love me?  
I say a prayer with every heartbeat  
I fall in love whenever we meet  
I'm asking you what you know about these things?

How will I know if you're thinking of me?  
I try to fall but I'm too shy, can't speak  
Falling in love is so bittersweet  
This love is strong, why do I feel weak? ♩

Eventually, they were four drinks in and Levi was starting to feel the alcohol affecting him. It wasn't like he was a lightweight or anything; he liked to think he could hold his liquor pretty well, but considering that he was drinking on an empty stomach, no less, he could definitely tell that the alcohol was hitting him harder than it usually would. Eren seemed to be going through the same thing.

' ♩ Awake me, I'm shaking  
Wish I had you near me now  
Said there's no mistaking  
What I feel is really love

How will I know?  
How will I know?  
How will I know if you really love me? ♩

Then, Eren was back to practically sitting on top of Levi once more. He was smiling and running his hand through Levi's undercut, and Levi simply let him. If he were to ever be honest with himself, he greatly enjoyed the attention he was receiving. A few other songs played; slow, mellow songs as the crowds gradually trickled into the bar as the hours passed. Eventually, the songs started becoming more quick and upbeat. Thankfully, to Levi's pleasure, the music stuck to classic jazzy undertones. None of that dubstep or auto-tuned bullshit kids listened to these days.

Eren started dancing in his seat, prompting laughter from the older man as he watched the brunet restlessly move around in place. It was clear that Eren wanted to go out on the dance floor and dance, but Levi had never been one to go to clubs and dance in public. Formal dancing was a completely different story, but club dancing? No fucking thanks. 

"Excuse me," a handsome gentleman with long brown hair tied back into a ponytail said politely as he approached their booth. He made direct eye contact with Eren who smiled back openly at him. "Would you like to dance with me?" 

Levi eyed the other man skeptically. He wasn't bad looking, but Levi had to question the man's style. He was wearing frameless glasses, a white blazer over a dark t-shirt and tight jeans. The neatly well-kept beard Levi could handle, but it was that damn ugly circle scarf the guy was wearing that just had Levi immediately disliking him. That, and he kept eyeing Eren like he wanted to fuck him over this table. 

"Sorry," Eren said easily, looking over to Levi and running a hand down his arm tenderly. "I'm kind of with someone." 

To Levi's surprise, the douche with the circle scarf nodded in understanding, apologized and went on his way. Okay, so he wasn't a douche but Levi still didn't like the fact that he was wearing that retarded circle scarf indoors. Taking a long drink from his glass, Levi set his empty glass down and turned to the brunet who was still restlessly dancing in his seat. 

"You should have danced with him." He said, despite the relief he felt over Eren rejecting the offer in favor of sticking by his side. 

"Nah," Eren shrugged. "I came here with you and I plan on dancing with only you." 

Levi scoffed, "I don't do dancing at clubs, kid."

"I figured as much. But, you're going to dance with me tonight, whether you want to or not. Just wait." Eren smiled. 

The older man only shook his head before getting up to get them both another round of drinks. Honestly, Levi didn't know how long they'd been there, really. He knew he probably should have been getting Eren home soon, but he was really enjoying his time with him and he didn't want this night to end just yet. As he waited for their drinks to be made, Levi watched as two more patrons approached Eren for a dance. One a man, the other a very attractive woman. He turned the both of them down just as politely as he had done the first guy, pointing Levi out each time and each time they all digressed with understanding. Nobody was hassling Eren, or giving him a hard time about it, and for that, Levi just liked this club even more. 

Why couldn't all night clubs be this easy going? 

Grabbing their drinks, Levi walked back to their dark little corner booth and handed Eren his new drink while he reclaimed his seat. The younger man took a big sip of his new drink through the thin red straw placed inside it before he was climbing over Levi's lap who nearly spilled his drink on himself. 

"Eren, what the fuck-" 

"I'm gonna go dance!" he stated, before he was strutting out into the open space provided in the center of the club. 

It was a few feet away from where Levi was sitting at the booth, alone, but he was content with just watching as Eren started moving his body to the beat of a new song that started up. His moves were slow and fluid, in perfect tune with the beat of the song. Eren was like a moving work of art, the way his body rolled and the way his hips moved. He was completely comfortable dancing among the other bodies in the room. His eyes were closed during the beginning of the song, but when he finally opened them, he was staring right at Levi who dared not look away from such a beautiful sight. [(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzwRisFEI-o)

' ♩ It begins to tell 'round midnight  
'Round midnight  
I do pretty well 'til after sundown  
Suppertime I'm feeling sad  
But it really gets bad 'round midnight ♩

He smiled when he saw that Levi was watching him, and then he was slowly dancing his way over to Levi who immediately knew what the brunet was up to. All the eyes that had been watching him dance followed Eren as he stepped out of the crowd and toward Levi who he grabbed by the hands and started dragging out onto the dance floor. Levi had thankfully not been holding his drink, but that just meant he didn't have a way to get out of being dragged out by Eren.

"Eren," he sighed, "I told you I don't--" 

"Just shut up and dance with me, old man. Who cares who's watching? Right now, it's just you and me." 

Eren put Levi's hands on each one of his hips and slowly, he started moving to the beat of the song again. Levi awkwardly glanced around and noticed that nobody was watching, all too busy dancing themselves. All the eyes that had previously been watching Eren were all elsewhere now, and Levi just as slowly started matching Eren's movements, although, he was sure he probably didn't look as loose or as fluid as Eren did. Levi was really bad at this sort of thing, which was why he never did it. But, he was just tipsy enough to give a shot, and just drunk enough to not give a single fuck.

'♩ Memories always start 'round midnight  
'Round midnight  
Haven't got the heart to stand those memories  
When my heart is still with you  
And old midnight knows it too ♩'

Somehow, Levi felt like they were moving in perfect sync. Eren had his arms resting casually on Levi's shoulders, locked behind his neck and he had the biggest grin on his face. He inched their bodies closer and closer until there was no longer a gap separating them; they were chest to chest, nose to nose. Levi could smell the alcohol on Eren's breath once more, and was sure Eren could probably smell the alcohol on his. The heated look Eren was giving him, bright eyes hooded and long eyelashes brushing over his cheeks; it sent a bolt of hot white want into Levi's gut, tugging at him with each feeling of contact they made with their bodies.

Their lips brushed frequently. So close that they were no more than a hair's length away from kissing each other. But Levi would always pull back, smirking whenever he saw the put out look Eren would give him. Then, the brunet started letting his hands roam freely across Levi's muscled back. The older man could feel the warmth of those hands as they splayed against his shoulder blades and groped him gently. He did the same by trailing his hands up Eren's waist a little and feeling the deep cut of the V that led to his groin. 

Eventually, Eren got fed up with the teasing game of cat and mouse Levi was leading. He huffed loudly when Levi once again leaned in and brushed their noses together, lips ghosting over his so dangerously close, only for him to pull away again. Finally, Eren grabbed Levi by the back of his head and held the older man in place. Levi couldn't help the smug smile that crept onto his face at how frustrated Eren looked with him. 

"Quit teasing me and kiss me already, Levi." he whispered against the older man's lips. Eren craned his neck down to meet Levi's lips finally, but the older man pulled back a bit, just so that the brunet fell short a few centimeters again. "Levi." Eren growled.

"I would kiss you," Levi mumbled against his lips, voice still low and enticing. "But I don't want to get slapped again." 

"Then I promise I won't slap you again if you promise to hurry up and _kiss me_ right now." 

"Could I possibly get that in writing?" he teased, and Eren sucked his teeth in annoyance before surging forward and kissing Levi himself. 

When their lips met, they were quick to set a fast and hard pace as they slipped tongues into mouths and traced teeth and gums, tasting each other and not caring who saw them. They kissed each other like they both needed the air from the others lungs to breath; hungry, fierce and full of passion and desire. Levi had never been kissed by anyone like this before. It was like Eren needed him so badly, the death grip he had on the front of Levi's blazer spoke volumes of that. 

Finally parting, they were breathing heavily, and Eren ended up smiling a rather dopey smile before leaning his forehead against Levi's. The older man felt the corner of his lips twitch as well, but then he remembered, with a sinking feeling in his stomach, that this wasn't supposed to be how the plan happened. He'd just crossed the line between keeping this thing professional by kissing the hell out of Eren and now, he felt so much guilt and conflict all at once that he had to pull away from Eren's embrace. 

"Levi?" Eren asked, concern lacing his voice. Levi wished he wouldn't do that-- he wished he wouldn't... _care_. 

"I'll go cover our tab. It's getting late." 

Without so much as another word, Levi turned and left toward the bar to pay for their drinks that night. As he waited to be tended to, he ran a hand down his face and scrubbed at it, mentally cursing at himself for letting things get so far. Sure, the goal was to get Eren to fall in love with him, but there was never supposed to be anything about... that kind of a fucking kiss and the longing Levi suddenly felt for Eren in both the emotional way and the physical way. God, what he would love to do with Eren's naked body pressed up against his.

He needed to calm down and remember his plan. This was all supposed to be fake. He was supposed to lie to Eren, invite him to go to Paris with him, purposely not go once Eren agreed, break the kids heart and move on. That was what he had intended to happen but-- but he was falling in love with the kid, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Levi. Ya big dumb! 
> 
> I'm guessing this fic probably had about two or three more chapters, tops, before it's completed! I'm so excited for the upcoming chapters! I've had them planned for awhile now!


	11. Flesh and Bone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Flesh and Bone - Keaton Henson**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the angst and the tears, guys! Also, a tiny glimpse into Eren and Levi's childhood together.

Levi was sitting outside in the Garden, trying to read his favorite book when the familiar squealing of a certain wild-haired seven-year-old sounded from a distance. Looking up, the young raven-haired boy smiled upon seeing Eren being chased around the Garden by none other than his mother. The boy was giggling and smiling widely, face so bright and full of wonder. 

Carla scooped the child up, causing more laughter to be heard. Levi enjoyed moments like this. 

Then, Mrs. Jaeger looked up and caught Levi staring at them. She smiled warmly at him, big amber eyes so full of motherly love and affection. Levi felt his cheeks warm at being caught staring at the pair while they chased each other and played. 

"Levi, dear." Carla called, her german accent slight but very noticeable. "Would you like to come and play with Eren? I have to be getting back to the Kitchen soon." 

The sixteen-year-old blinked owlishly up at the woman who gave him a knowing look and one of her biggest smiles. The warmth in his cheeks intensified as he glanced down at a beaming Eren, slightly red-faced and sweaty from all the running around. Closing the book he'd been reading, Levi straightened his posture and stood up from his cozy spot on the wooded deck. 

"Sure," he said, polite but unsure of himself. He noticed the way Eren's face lit up at his answer. 

"Is Levi going to play with me now, Mama?" the little boy asked excitedly, turquoise eyes sparkling like crystals. 

"Yes, love." Carla cooed. She stroked some of Eren's windswept hair back with a wave of her hand and the boy nuzzled into the touch. "You behave yourself while playing with Levi. Don't give him any trouble." Warm honey brown eyes looked up to Levi once more, "When he's tired, just take him back to the loft. I'm sorry to bother you with this when you're busy getting ready for Yale, Levi. But Eren just adores spending time with you." 

Clearing his throat, the teenager rubbed at his neck awkwardly. "It's no trouble at all. I enjoy spending time with Eren too." 

"I think you're his favorite person." Carla laughed, earning a smile from Levi as well. 

"He's my favorite person too." 

"Levi, Levi!" Eren frantically called, waving his hands around wildly. "I saw a butterfly near the rose bushes earlier! Wanna go try and catch it with me?" the small boy hurried toward the older boy and grabbed Levi's slender hand with his own smaller, warm one. 

"Okay," Levi said gently, allowing the younger boy to lead him off on another one of his unique adventures. The boy had a beautiful mind full of creative and colorful ideas. Nothing was ever boring around Eren.

Levi glanced back only to see Carla heading back into the kitchen looking very tired but content. Grisha Jaeger met his wife at the Kitchen's back entrance and kissed the woman's forehead lovingly before helping her inside. Seeing that scene both warmed Levi's heart and made it ache. It wasn't any secret that Carla had been getting sicker and sicker lately. The woman had a rare renal disease and while it wasn't terminal, it meant her body would deteriorate slowly over the years. The young teen admired the woman for putting on a brave face everyday and doing her best to hide her illness from all those around her, but most of all Eren. 

"Mama says that Butterflys are actually cute little caterpillars that go to sleep for a really long time and when they wake up, they have wings! Isn't that so cool, Levi? I wish I could grow wings too."

The teen smiled as he was dragged around the large garden area by the bubbly boy who would be turning eight soon. Eren was the spitting image of Carla Jaeger and everyone always made it a point to declare the obvious. 

"Yeah, that would be cool." Levi agreed. Finally, they came to a stop and Eren released Levi's hand in favor of running around the rose garden in search of the butterfly he'd seen. Levi watched the hyperactive boy zip about. "What would you do once you had wings, Eren?" 

"Fly, obviously!" he said, flashing a cheeky grin. "But I'd wanna take Mama and Papa flying with me to wherever they wanted to go in the world." 

"Like where?" 

"Well," the small boy stopped, eyes going skyward as he tapped his chin in deep thought. Then he smiled, "Mama and Papa always talk about wanting to go back to Germany one day. So, I'd wanna fly them home to Germany whenever they want!"

"That's a very nice thing of you to do, Eren." Levi smiled. 

The older boy sat down on one of the stone benches placed throughout the Rose Garden. He continued to watch as wild-haired child ran to and fro, searching for the enigmatic butterfly he'd seen earlier. Then, he heard Eren gasp dramatically and Levi worried that perhaps maybe the boy had gotten injured. They were in a rose garden filled with flowers that were known for their rather large thorns; it was entirely possible. Levi shot up from his spot on the bench and hurried over toward the younger boy who was standing very still, his small back facing Levi. 

"Eren? Are you alright?" 

He heard a quite giggle, "Levi," Eren whispered softly. "Look, the butterfly landed on my finger and I don't wanna scare it away. Hurry!" 

Breathing a small sigh of relief, Levi shook his head but took two quick steps toward the brunet, peeking over his small shoulder to see the beautiful orange and black Monarch Butterfly perched on Eren's index finger. Eren was practically shaking with excitement but he was doing his best to hold still and not scare the butterfly away. 

And they stayed, silently watching the butterfly flutter it's wings.

\- -

The acceptance letter to Yale was of no surprise to anyone. Yet, the Ackerman estate was in a delighted frenzy anyway. Levi had worked hard for this-- had put everything he had into making his mother proud. After all, being a single mother of two young boys while running a multi-million dollar company on the side was no small feat. But Kuchel Ackerman had proven that she could do it all and still be a mother.

Of course, the work was stressful, but Levi prided himself on being able to work better when under stress. He'd proven that countless times, over and over again. Yet, one particular day toward the end of his first semester at Yale was starting to make Levi wonder if he'd bitten off more than he could chew. 

The stress he was under was immense; he wasn't eating, he wasn't sleeping and he was practically living off of Coffee and Energy drinks. What was worse was that he hated Coffee, and yet he was forced to consume on a daily because tea wasn't cutting it anymore. He'd been up for three days straight, power naps not included, and that particular day was when Mrs. Jaeger health took a turn for the worse. 

Eren had just turned eight, and the rest of the household staff was doing their best to keep the younger boy preoccupied, but Levi of all wanted to do his best to help Eren forget about his sick mother. Grisha had been granted leave, naturally, to care for his wife who was more often times than not always in a hospital those days. Eren wasn't allowed at the Hospital, despite his determined protests. Carla didn't want her young son to see her so frail and weak, and Grisha was just doing his best to keep it together for both of them. Eren was alone a lot now and the older boy obviously felt bad but he couldn't find the time to spend with his favorite eight-year-old anymore.

"Levi," Kuchel had called out to him one day. The seventeen-year-old was holed up in his bedroom, drowning himself in an endless sea of text books while also tuning out the sound of anyone trying to bother him. Kuchel Ackerman would have none of it, however. "Levi! I'm taking Jean to his Piano lessons and we'll both be gone for the next couple of hours. There's a storm coming in and Eren is going to be staying here in the main house with us for a couple of days. Make sure to check in on him every once in a while. Poor boy. I heard Carla isn't doing so well." 

Levi had been forced to remove the headphones from his head once his mother had made her way into his room without his permission. The teen sighed heavily at all her instructions. He really didn't have time for any of this. 

"Can't someone else look after Eren? I've got to finish this report by tomorrow and I'm busy as fuck." 

"Levi," Kuchel warned with a pointed look. Levi simply shrugged. "Look, I know you're under a lot of stress with school and everything but would it kill you to just take a break every half hour to check on Eren and make sure he's not lonely? Besides, Eren is very fond of you and I thought you liked playing with him." 

"I'm not a kid anymore, mom. I don't have time to spend playing with an eight-year-old." 

His mother sighed, tucking a lock of her long black hair behind an ear just as a thirteen-year-old Jean came into Levi's room and started tugging on her arm. 

"Mom, we're gonna be late!" 

"Yes, I know, sweetheart." Kuchel Ackerman glanced down at her wrist watch and looked back up at her oldest son who was no longer paying any attention to her. "I'm leaving the door to your room open, Levi. I've already told Eren that if he needs anything at all to come find you and ask for it." 

"Whatever." the teenager replied as his mother finally turned to leave. 

Grumbling to himself, Levi put his headphones back on and started reading over endless walls of texts. From his bedroom windows, he could see how dark clouds loomed in the sky ominously. Apparently his mother wasn't exaggerating about this storm. Just from looking at the clouds forming, he could tell it was going to be a big one. 

Still, he ignored the weather and got right back down to work. He wasn't entirely sure how long it had been before Eren wandered into his room. The curious eight-year-old stared at everything in Levi's room with genuine childlike wonder but plopped himself down next to the teenager who was still wearing his headphones and writing down notes like a madman. Not having noticed Eren's presence yet, the boy got a fun idea in his head and got up to stand just behind the older boy. 

He crept a little closer to Levi's back until he was less than a foot away and he reached his hands around Levi's hand until both of the older boy's eyes were covered by Eren's tiny fingers. Levi startled, not having expected to be pulled randomly into a familiar game of "Guess Who?". He hadn't meant to, but he yanked away from Eren's hands and shot up from his spot on the floor, whipping around and frowning at the giggling eight-year-old. 

"Eren!" he yelled. "Don't scare people like that! I don't have time to play stupid games with you!" Levi hadn't noticed, but his voice had risen louder and louder and he just couldn't stop himself. "Get out of my room! You're so annoying!" 

Then, the power went out and everything was bathed in blackness. Levi was still standing there, his breathing heavy but he was quickly starting to realize what he'd just done. The word 'Regret' wouldn't even begin to cover the way Levi felt after he saw Eren's scared and hurt face in the pale moonlight that trickled in through the tiny cracks in the storm clouds. Big doe eyes that once sparkled and glittered like the sun whenever they saw Levi were now wide with fear and cautious of his looming figure in the darkness. 

"Oh my god, Eren--" Levi reached out a hand to try and sooth the boy, but just as he did, a clap of thunder sounded from outside and shook the window panes and Eren immediately bolted out of the room. "Eren!" 

The raven-haired boy took chase, doing his best to keep up with the younger one but bumping into several things during his pursuit. He kept calling out desperately for Eren, hoping to convey just how sorry he was for yelling at him and saying things he didn't mean. 

He ended up losing track of Eren at some point, near the foyer of the mansion. Levi paced the area, frantically looking around and praying that Eren hadn't run out into the storm. He tried to calm himself down, telling himself that he hadn't heard the front door open and he highly doubted he was that far behind the small child. Eren was still somewhere in the house. 

The softest of sniffles sounded from somewhere to Levi's lower right and he turned in the direction of it. A crack of lightning illuminated the foyer in that moment and Levi saw Eren hiding underneath a small end table with an old Tiffany lamp perched on top of it. He was hugging the leg of the table and Levi could hear Eren's muffled sobs. He immediately felt his heart ache at the sound and guilt racked every bone in his body for scaring the boy so badly. 

"Eren...?" he called softly, taking a few steps toward the table and crouching down so that he was at eye-level with the child. 

The lighting was poor but Levi could still make out the way Eren scooted further away from him. The sound of thunder in the background, no matter how loud, wasn't enough to scare the boy but it seemed that Levi himself was more terrifying than the storm outside. There was nothing Levi could do to fix this. No matter how many apologizes he threw at him and no matter how nice or gentle he tried to be with him, Eren only reacted in fear. 

At some point, after having apologized for what felt like the hundredth time, Levi just stopped doing anything and he sat on the step of the foyer with his face buried in his hands. The sound of Eren sniffling and hiccuping quietly no more than a couple of feet away from him was silently killing him inside. He wasn't even sure just how long they'd been sitting there for. It felt like an eternity with nothing but the cold and the dark and the sound of rain and thunder to keep Levi company.

Then, the front door to the mansion opened. Levi hadn't even noticed that the rain had stopped awhile ago and the moonlight poured into the foyer bathing it in it's pale beams of pure starlight. Two pairs of feet shuffled inside, and Levi looked up to see his mother and little brother just arriving. Kuchel looked up and noticed Levi sitting on the front step of the foyer, arms crossed over his bent knees and head craned forward. 

"Levi?" she called, concern clear in her voice. 

The sound of Eren's sniffling stopped and Levi watched as the little boy shot out from under the end table and barreled straight into Jean's unexpected arms. The older boy had stumbled back a step or two at the sheer intensity of Eren's running tackle, but he wrapped his arms around the smaller boys frame and seemed to clam up when he realized Eren was crying into his sweater vest. 

"Um, mom?" Jean looked up at his mother for help and the woman immediately tried to pry Eren off of her youngest son. Eren was determined to hold on tightly, however. 

"Eren, sweetie. What's wrong? Did the rain scare you?" she asked softly, stroking wild brown hair back soothingly. Eren shook his head from side to side, face still buried in Jean's stomach as he gripped onto his sweater vest like his life depended on it. Kuchel looked up worriedly at a tired and forlorn Levi who couldn't even bring himself to look back at her. Sad grey eyes were glued to Eren's small body clinging onto Jean like a lifeline. 

"I'm going back to my room." Levi suddenly declared, when he felt like his guilt-ridden heart could take no more.

He stood from his spot on the foyer step and halfheartedly dusted himself off before he slowly walked back to the staircase and started his way up toward his room. That night, Levi buried himself in his school work and didn't speak a word to anyone.

\- -

"Levi."

He woke to the sound of Hanji's voice and the sensation of their hand gently shaking him awake. Levi hadn't noticed when he'd started dozing off in the quiet of his office, but by the look of Hanji's amused smirk as he finally came to full alertness told him that he'd been sleeping for awhile. 

"Ugh," Levi groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes shut tightly. "How long have I been sleeping?" his voice came out low and gravelly. 

"Let's see. I came in to give you your afternoon tea at 4:30 pm as usual and you were sitting in your chair, eyes closed and snoring lightly. I came in to check on you again fifteen minutes later and you were still out like a light. It's now almost 5:30 pm and I decided I should probably wake you up to tell you I'm heading home for the day." 

"Fuck," the older man cursed, rubbing at his eyes and glancing at his Armani wrist watch. Indeed, it was half past five in the evening. He'd slept for a full hour. "Why didn't you wake me up the first time, shithead?" 

"Ah, well, you see. You pay me to handle your schedule and deal with appointments and stuff. You don't pay me to wake you up from your nappies. Also, I left the two plane tickets you asked me to book on top of your desk. One for you and one for Eren Jaeger." 

Before Levi could snap at them for the nap joke, Hanji started to briskly walk out of his office with a rather big grin on their face. Just as they got to the door, they popped their head back into his office and smiled wider. 

"Oh, and a Mr. Eren Jaeger is here to see you. He's been waiting for about twenty minutes by the elevators." They then zipped out of Levi's office leaving him a bit gobsmacked at that information. 

"Shit!" Levi shot out of his chair and rounded his desk. 

As he reached his office door, Eren was just entering and Levi stopped dead in his tracks. He just sort of stood there, halfway between the doors and his desk and Eren in the middle. He hated how his heart immediately started doing back flips and front slips at the sight of the brunet who came dressed in a simple black leather jacket, a white v-neck and black denim jeans. His hair was left loose and he wasn't wearing his glasses today-- no sign of his camera bag anywhere as well. 

"Maybe this was a bad idea..." Eren mumbled quietly. He smiled sheepishly but didn't dare make eye contact with Levi. 

Then, Levi was reminded of their passionate kiss the night before at The Wall and his stuttering heart was beating wildly in his chest, mouth immediately going dry. He straightened his posture and took a step toward Eren, despite his better judgement. 

"Why would you think it was a bad idea to come here, Eren?" Levi didn't know why he was asking that. That wasn't the question he should be asking Eren.

The brunet chuckled nervously, hand immediately going to rub at the back of his neck in that signature way of his. He took a couple of steps into Levi's office, but not directly toward the man himself. 

"Um, well, It's just that... I've been wandering around the city all day-- thinking, I guess." 

"Thinking?" Levi followed Eren's every move carefully with his eyes. 

"Mm," was the non-committal noise that came from Eren next as he wandered around the spacious executive suite. " I think there's something wrong... with me." 

Levi felt the slight panic well up inside of him at Eren saying that. He took a step toward the brunet who wasn't paying attention to Levi anymore. Instead, he was staring intently out the large picture window. 

"What do you mean?" 

"I just-- I don't know, exactly. I feel like maybe I might be going a little insane here." Eren sighed, the hand that had been nervously rubbing at his neck was now carding through his own hair repeatedly, like he didn't know what to do with himself. "These past few days have just been... a little insane." 

Eren turned and started pacing in a different direction now, toward Levi's desk. The man himself was still caught standing somewhere between his desk and the cozy couch Eren had just been standing by a moment ago but now he was turning in place to follow the nervous brunet who was still looking puzzled and confused. 

"Is that bad?" Levi asked, causing Eren to look up at him in even more confusion. "That these past few days have been a little insane?" 

"No," the brunet sighed with a small grin. "Of course not. I wouldn't... I wouldn't trade these last few days spent with you for anything in the world." 

"Eren," Levi quickly closed the distance between them, his heart so erratic it felt like he might just drop dead from a heart attack at any moment. "Come to Paris." he blurted out.

"W-What?" the brunet seemed taken aback by Levi's sudden and bold statement. It wasn't even that. It was an order. Not a question or a request but a straight and direct order. "You're joking, right?" 

"Do I look like I'm fucking joking?" 

The older man suddenly grabbed Eren by the back of his neck and kissed him like he'd never kiss him again. Like this was the last time their lips would ever touch and somewhere in the back of Levi's mind, he knew that was probably true. After all, once Eren found out that this was all a sham, he'd probably never want anything to do with Levi ever again and that was how it should be but that idea just didn't sit well with him at all. 

Eren kissed him back, with all the passion and determination he'd shown last night at The Wall. Given, last night's kiss involved a little more tongue and a lot more teeth but it was just as electrifying as the one from that night. Levi felt his breath leave him-- like if the very air in his lungs was sucked out of him as soon as he and Eren touched lips. The explosion of warmth he felt blossoming in his chest, spreading through the rest of his body and warming him down to the very core. The utter desire to just take Eren in his arms, hold his body against his and make him tremble in pleasure. When they finally pulled away, they both let out quiet, satisfied little sighs. 

"Come to Paris. With me." Levi repeated. "It's your fault I'm even going in the first place. You made me realize that there are things missing in my life." 

"Like what?" Eren breathed. 

"Like Love, Eren." He rested his forehead against Eren's and stared deeply into his eyes. "Don't say no. Say you'll come with me. Say yes now." 

"When do we leave?" 

"Tomorrow." 

"T-Tomorrow?" Eren stuttered, eyes going wide. "But, what about Jean?" 

"Just come away with me, Eren. Please." 

The brunet was quiet for a long moment, before a small smile graced his features and he looked down. 

"You certainly are a very good business man, aren't you?" he chuckled. 

"This isn't business, Eren." 

"Didn't you used to say that everything is business?" 

Levi was silent and they finally separated from each other. Eren was still smiling when he noticed the plane tickets sitting prettily on Levi's desk. He moved passed the shorter man, who was still a bit stunned by what Eren had just said. 

"Oh my gosh," Eren laughed. "This is really happening. You're going to Paris... and you want me to come with you." 

Levi was then embraced by the brunet tightly, his face being bombarded with endless kiss after kiss as Eren smiled widely. He kissed Levi's neck, his cheeks, his lips, his nose, anything and everything he could get his lips on. 

"What's wrong with me?" Eren laughed into Levi's hair as he hugged the older man to his chest tightly. "I thought I'd finally matured. I went to freakin Germany to grow up but I feel like I just came back stupider than ever." 

Levi hesitantly hugged the brunet back, suddenly feeling that old guilt wash over him all over again. The sight of Eren smiling and looking so genuinely happy because of something _he_ did. Then to be the only one who knows that it's all a lie. Levi felt sick to his stomach to longer Eren held on to him. 

"Oh, Levi." the brunet sighed. "You've made me so happy."

That was it. Levi couldn't do this anymore. Eren had just delivered the final blow to Levi's moral compass and broke him. There was no way he could go through with this plan, now that he realized that his feelings for Eren were real. This was all real. 

"Eren," Levi grunted as he started pushing the brunet away from him with force. "Stop. Just... stop." 

Eren released him and stared at Levi in confusion as the older man took a few steps away from him and shook his head. Levi seemed at war with himself and he was starting to worry Eren. 

"Levi? What is it? What's wrong?" 

"I can't-- I can't do this anymore. You were right, Eren. You were right about everything."

"What are you--"

"It was all a lie, Eren!" Levi yelled. "Everything I said, everything I did. From the moment I met you in the Solarium." 

Eren seemed surprised at this revelation and his confused expression was just making it all worse for Levi. He just wished Eren would stop looking like such a lost puppy. 

"I don't... I don't understand." the brunet laughed quietly. "Why would you... what could possibly gain from any of this?" 

"There was a merger between my company and Bodt Electronics. Jean and Marco were engaged for the sake of this merger between our two companies. But then you had to come back from Germany. It was you, Eren. You got in the way of everything." 

Eren swallowed loudly but stayed quiet. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say-- how he was supposed to respond to learning something like this. 

"I was going to make you fall in love with me, ask you go away to Paris or Berlin and fly you out there with the promise of love and romance and all that bull but in reality I was just going to send you to Paris alone. Just to get you out of the way and to save my merger." 

Levi didn't wait for any kind of verbal response, and not wanting to see Eren's hurt expression any longer, he walked himself out onto the terrace of his suite and took deep breaths doing his best to keep his composure. He hadn't realized just how hard it would be to be honest with Eren, and now that he'd come clean, he didn't feel any better. In fact, he felt worse. 

Eren on the other hand, had to sit down on one of the leather seats in Levi's office as it all sunk in. He felt so many emotions all at once. Anger, sadness, betrayal, humiliation. He wanted nothing more than to scream at the top of his lungs, punch a few things, throw some kind of temper tantrum. But he had to remind himself that he wasn't some petulant child anymore. He was an adult who was living in the real world and Levi had just helped give him a good dose of reality. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and wiped away the unshed tears welling up in his eyes before he snatched one of the planes tickets up from the table and met Levi out on the terrace. 

"Fine," he said, proud of himself for forcing his voice to come out as even and as emotionless as possible. Levi turned slowly to look at him, fearing to see what expression Eren was wearing but was even more hurt to see the lack of one. He was completely stone faced and that was not an expression Levi was used to seeing at all. "If I'm really that big of a bother to everyone by being here, then I'll go. You won't have to waste any time having to entertain an annoying brat anymore."

A humorless laugh left Eren's mouth as he looked down at his shoes. He could feel the way his lower lip quivered but he bit it in hopes of hiding that little weakness. He would _not_ allow Levi the satisfaction of seeing him cry. He would _not_ break before this man. Eren started turning to leave Levi's office, when the man finally spoke. 

"... I don't want you to have to worry about anything. I've... taken the liberty of taking care of everything. An apartment, a bank account with 500,000 euros. There'll be a car to meet you at the airport as soon as you arrive and--" 

"I don't want your _charity_ , Levi." Eren spat venomously. His temper finally getting the better of him. "I don't want _anything_." Eren's voice broke on that last word and he felt his iron-clad resolve start to crumble the longer he stood in Levi's presence. "You know," he laughed bitterly. "I always knew karma would come and bite me one day for what I did to Erwin. Telling a good man that I loved him when I clearly didn't. I just didn't think it would be so soon." 

"Eren--" Levi took a step forward and made a grab for Eren's hand that was hanging by his side but the brunet only jerked away from him in anger. "That's not--" 

"Don't." he growled. "Just... don't. Please. Keep your money and your fancy apartment and anything else you might have thought would soften the blow. I don't want anything from you." 

The older man nodded numbly, his eyes watching as Eren's broad back turned and started for his office doors. The ache he felt in his chest was one that would probably stay no matter how much alcohol he tried to drown it with. As Eren arrived at the doors, he stopped only once and glanced back at Levi who was still watching him. 

"You know... I was happy in Paris. I think you probably would have been too." He spared Levi only one last look, and smiled sadly. "Goodbye, Mr. Ackerman."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I highly suggest listening to **Flesh and Bone by Keaton Henson** while reading the last half of this chapter. It was the song that inspired this entire thing and the song I listened to on repeat while writing this. I feel it definitely fits the both of them so well and specifically how Levi feels in this chapter.


	12. Love Is A Losing Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Love Is A Losing Game - Sam Smith (Cover)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will have lots and lots of Jean in it. A little sprinkle of Eren, a big dash of Levi and a tiny touch of Hanji as well! We're getting closer to the end, guys! SO EXCITED. 
> 
> Also, I know, I know. I updated twice in one day/night! But don't expect any more back to back updates because tonight just happened to be a night where I had more time than usual to write more. The holidays are killing me and I can't WAIT for them to be over!

Eren wandered around the city for hours, still trying to wrap his head around everything that had just happened in Levi's office. He did his best to hold himself together, and to keep his anger in check, but he wasn't having much luck. Eren knew, the only thing that would help mellow him out would be to drink and drink a lot. 

That was how he ended up sitting alone in a booth at The Wall. A far cry from the lively, charming man he'd been the night before. Eren didn't like for people to pity him but in this case, he just couldn't bring himself to care if the bartender--same guy from last night, too-- gave him a sympathetic look as he ordered two shots of Jameson for himself and a straight Vodka. Then, after throwing back both shots of Jameson at once, Eren grabbed his glass of Vodka and carried his sorry ass over to the booth he'd sat in with Levi the night prior. 

He stayed there for an hour or two, drinking more Vodka and simply listening to the band that played on the small stage but he wasn't _really_ paying much attention to what songs they were playing. He might have shed a few tears every now and again but they were quickly absorbed into his Vodka. Eren somehow ended up slumped over the table, arms wrapped around his head to shield himself from curious eyes. A few people asked if they could join him or buy him a drink but he simply ignored them, much too preoccupied with his own heartache to care if he was coming off as rude. 

At some point, someone went up on stage and started singing Amy Winehouse covers, and Eren couldn't have wished for a more perfect choice of artist to listen to while he nursed both his drink and an aching heart. Amy Winehouse was the Queen of heartbreak songs. She knew what pain caused by love really was and portrayed it perfectly in each one of her songs. The male singer covering her song added a new twist to 'Love is A Losing Game', one of Eren's favorites and it fit his current situation perfectly.

[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-5uOBEHmFw)

'♩ For you I was the flame  
Love is a losing game  
Five story fire as you came  
Love is losing game

One I wished, I never played  
Oh, what a mess we made  
And now the final frame  
Love is a losing game

Played out by the band  
Love is a losing hand  
More than I could stand  
Love is a losing hand

Self-professed profound  
Till the chips were down  
Know you're a gambling man  
Love is a losing hand

Though I battled blind  
Love is a fate resigned  
Memories mar my mind  
Love is a fate resigned

Over futile odds  
And laughed at by the gods  
And now the final frame  
Love is a losing game ♩' 

"Hi," a strangely familiar voice sounded to Eren's left.

The brunet turned slightly glassy eyes and at the person who was trying to have a conversation with him. They trailed up and up a long, lean torso until he met a painfully familiar face. Though, whether it was a face he welcomed or not had yet to be determined. Jean Ackerman smoothly slid next to Eren and motioned at the bartender to get them both two of the same thing. Eren didn't even bother to make more room for Jean.

"What are you doing here?" Eren asked. His brain was starting to get a little fuzzy from all the alcohol. How many drinks had he had already? Four? Six? "Shouldn't you still be at home, in bed?" 

"Maybe," Jean hummed as a pretty waitress brought them their drinks with a smile. Jean winked at her as he slid Eren's glass toward him. "Stitches are supposed to come out tomorrow." The waitress left the two of them to themselves and Jean took a sip of his own Vodka, grimacing at just how strong it was. "Long day?" he asked casually. 

The brunet laughed bitterly, "You have no idea." 

"Eren," Jean said sternly. "Levi called me and asked me to come meet you. Said something about maybe finding you here. I think we need to talk." 

At the mention of Levi, Eren paled and any trace of humor on his face, bitter or not, was immediately wiped clean. 

"What's there to talk about?" 

"Us." Jean smiled. "I never did get to dance with you in the Solarium. And you never did get that kiss." 

The older man inched a bit closer to Eren who's eyes widened at the realization that Jean was leaning in to kiss him. Their noses brushed and Eren felt a shaky breath leave him but then he was leaning back and away from Jean's searching lips. It was starting to become a habit that Eren just couldn't help but he was a little slow to register that he'd just slapped Jean across the cheek much like he had slapped Levi a few nights ago in the Solarium. 

"Ow." Jean whimpered while holding his cheek. He turned slightly hurt eyes toward Eren who was frowning at him. "What did you do that for? I thought this is what you wanted?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Eren nearly yelled. "You're engaged! To a fucking wonderful guy!" 

"So!?" 

"Oh my god, I can't believe I used to be so in love with you." the brunet sighed, rolling his eyes and turning in his seat to full face Jean who was still cradling his throbbing cheek. "Listen, Jean. Maybe I would have let you kiss me a week ago-- Hell, I probably would have let you do more than just kiss me a week ago, but... things changed while you were recovering." 

"What things?" Jean pouted, suddenly looking more and more like a petulant child and eliciting laughter from Eren. 

"Everything," he sighed. "I met Marco and we got to talk for awhile. After ten minutes with the guy, I realized how amazingly sweet he is and what an idiot you would be if you didn't marry him."

Jean's eyes softened at the mention of Marco, slowly his hand left his cheek and he smiled down at it seemingly lost in Marco-land. 

"Yeah," he said dreamily. "Marco is pretty great, isn't he?" 

"The greatest." Eren agreed with a big smile. "That's why this thing between us can never happen." 

The youngest Ackerman turned in his seat to look at Eren as well, a small smirk replacing the warm smile that had been there before. 

"So, what happens now? Are you just going to disappear from my life?" 

"Yes." Eren declared boldly. Head held high and a confident grin on his face despite how much his heart was hurting deep down. "That's exactly what I plan on doing." 

At that statement, Jean frowned. "Where will you go?" he asked softly. 

Looking away from Jean, Eren forced himself to keep that fake smile up. He couldn't let them know-- couldn't let anyone know just how torn up and broken he was on the inside over this whole situation. It was bad enough he felt so foolish for letting himself fall for Levi so hard and fast in just a few short days. He didn't need to add more humiliation by having his former first-love see him crumble. 

"I got offered a job for VOGUE in Paris, France. I'm leaving first thing tomorrow." Eren heard the ice in his glass clink softly as it melted. He had yet to even touch the fresh glass of alcohol, no longer having the desire to drink.

"One way?" Jean asked quietly. A more serious expression growing on his face at Eren's strange behavior. 

"Yes." the brunet answered just as quietly. He was starting to lose his composure again as he swallowed past the painful lump forming in his throat. 

"I see..." 

The two of them sat in silence for a couple of minutes, just allowing the enjoyment of another's company and the silent buzz of chatter from the other patrons in the bar. Suddenly, Eren moved toward Jean and pecked him lightly on the cheek. Jean looked at him, a little surprised at first, but he noticed the wetness of Eren's eyelashes and the tell-tale signs of unshed tears. 

"I think I've had enough for tonight. I'd better go home and sleep if I don't want to have the worst hangover in history tomorrow on the plane."

Jean slid out of the booth, allowing Eren to do the same. "I'll give you a ride back to the estate. My car is parked right outside." Eren gave him a grateful look and mouthed a silent thank-you before he made a move to go up to the bar and cover his tab. Jean stopped him with a gentle touch to his arm, "I'll get it. Think of it as a going away present from me." he smirked. 

Eren opened his mouth to protest, bitter memories of earlier when Levi was flashing all his wealth in his face with talks of an apartment and a bank account being prepared for him once he arrived in Paris digging up those raw emotions he'd been fighting all evening to bury deep. Then, he had to remind himself that Jean wasn't Levi and he wasn't trying to hurt Eren by offering to cover the tab. Jean was just being Jean and Eren had to accept that. So, he gave a silent nod and made his way for the door.

\- -

Hanji entered the Ackerman building bright and early that thursday morning, as they did every morning Monday through Friday. The security guards all greeted them politely as they walked toward Levi's office and Hanji smiled and bid each one of them a chipper 'Good Morning!'. They set their things down at their desk and entered Levi's darkened office to start organizing and preparing for the day.

Only, when they entered his office, the lights were all on and the sound of running water from the private bathroom in his office was heard causing Hanji to furrow their brows in confusion. They held their satchel close to their chest as they reached in and wrapped their hand around a bottle of mace, just in case there was an intruder, although that was unlikely. Hanji crept slowly toward the cracked open door where bright artificial light poured out from. Then, the sound of Levi's voice made them sigh a huge breath of relief.

"Hanji, you're finally here. I need you to get on the phone with Seattle and Tokyo. Tell them to stop construction. Then get my Lawyers and Mr. Bodt in my office and tell them we're having an emergency meeting on the merger here at noon, and take this plane ticket to Paris in my name and have it transferred to Jean's name." 

Hanji was a little overwhelmed by the long list of Levi's orders as the shorter man walked around his office working on knotting his tie. She noticed the slight stubble on his chin and the tired bags under his eyes. 

"Whoa, there short-stuff." they had to interrupt before Levi could go any further. "What are _you_ doing here this early? Did you sleep here last night?" 

"No." 

"Okay-y-y-y... So, you went home... right?" 

"No."

"So, where did you--"

"That's not important. Just do what I asked you to do. I have a lot of shit I'm going to have to deal with today." 

Levi was about to shoo Hanji out of his office when the sound of Jean's angry voice sounded from just outside his office doors. 

"Levi!" As if on cue, Jean came charging into the room like an angry bull. He kept his eyes trained on Levi, breath coming out in heavy pants. 

"Good Morning, Jean-boy." Hanji greeted without their usual chipper attitude, clearly sensing the tension in the room between the two brothers. "Coffee? No? Okie Dokie." They immediately made their hasty retreat back to their desk, leaving the two siblings alone finally. 

"Good, you're in the city. I was about to have Hanji start looking for you." Levi said for lack of a proper greeting. 

"Yeah? I've been looking for you too." Jean took a few steps forward. 

"You're going to get on the next plane to Paris, France. Should be leaving within the hour. Everything's been arranged." Levi rounded his desk and started rearranging the scattered papers that were laid on top of his desk, not paying any attention to Jean. 

"No kidding." 

"You're going to meet up with Eren. He'll be on the same flight."

"Yeah?"

Finally, Levi looked up at his younger brother and sighed. Jean looked about ready to blow his top and Levi could only guess why. 

"Sound a little happier about this why don't you. Isn't this what you wanted? To run off with Eren and all that romantic bullshit?" 

Jean walked a little closer to Levi's desk, "I met up with Eren at the The Wall last night. He was there, just like you said he would be." 

"Oh...? What'd he say?" 

"Nothing." Jean smiled easily, but Levi could see the strain behind it. "He slapped me for trying to kiss him." 

Levi gave a wry laugh, "Yeah, he does that a lot." 

"But then he kissed me after I took him home, for real." 

"And what's wrong with that?" 

Jean hesitated for a moment, "I might not know a lot about Dow-Jones averages, but I do know a lot about kisses." 

"Get to the point." Levi exasperated. 

"This one tasted like a Good-bye kiss, Levi." 

The older man stopped arranging papers on his desk for a brief second before he regained his composure and continued what he was doing. Jean felt his anger start to boil again. 

"You're probably just imagining things." Levi tried to reason. 

"No. It definitely was a good-bye kiss. He told me himself he was leaving for Paris today and that he was accepting a job with VOGUE over there." 

"He what?" Levi finally looked up, slightly confused and surprised at the same time. "Eren never told me--" 

"I know you don't think I'm the smartest, Levi. But it doesn't take a fucking rocket scientist to figure out what's going on between you and Eren. When I finally added everything up, you know what I got?" 

Levi straightened up and faced his brother properly, toe to toe. 

"What?" he asked, not expecting what came next. 

"This!" Jean launched his fisted hand toward Levi hitting the older man square in the jaw. When he heard that satisfying smack and crack of skin and bone colliding with more skin and bone, he took a step back and pointed an accusing finger at his older brother. "I've watched you make a lot of business deals, Levi. I've seen you tear people and their entire companies apart right before my very eyes and you never batted a single eyelash while doing it. In all that time, I never really thought of you as a heartless bastard... until now." Jean was just outright yelling at this point. "How could you, Levi? How could you go _that_ far?" 

Levi had stumbled into his desk from the impact of Jean's punch, which under any other circumstances, he probably would have been able to dodge or avoid but in this case, some small part of Levi thought that maybe he didn't try to dodge or avoid it because he knew he deserved it and so much more. When he straightened up to look at Jean again, he wiped at lip and saw the deep scarlet streak the blood left behind. 

"What makes you think you have the right to mess with people's lives like that?" Jean spat angrily. 

The older man moved his jaw around a bit before answering, "Habit." was all he said with a determined glare. Jean's anger seemed to leave him all at once at that answer and Levi took the opportunity to try to smooth things over, if only just a little bit. "Go home. Get packed. I'll take care of the Bodt's and cancel the merger. Hanji sould have your passport and your plane ticket ready. Let her know if you need any money." 

Jean watched as Levi walked over to the private bathroom in his office. He just couldn't wrap his head around why Levi was acting so cold and indifferent about all this. He trailed after his brother and leaned against the door frame of the bathroom as he watched Levi clean up his busted lip. 

"What makes you think Eren still wants me?" he asked, genuinely curious to hear Levi's answer. 

"Don't be fucking ridiculous, Jean." Levi growled out with a slight wince after he spit out another mouthful of blood into the sink and washed his mouth out with cold water. "He's loved you since he was nine years old. You're what he's always wanted." 

"You mean, until you came along with your black Chanel suits and briefcase." Jean smiled. "Call me crazy, but I think maybe you're the one who should be on that plane." 

Levi sighed, placing both hands on the edge of the porcelain sink and leaning most of his weight onto it. 

"Listen, Jean. I tried something and it didn't work. This whole thing with Eren was a business tactic, but it got out of hand. I... I lost my focus and I fucked everything up but you're the one who can fix it and make everything right again." Jean opened his mouth to protest but Levi held a finger up to quiet him before he continued. "I manipulated him, I confused him. But I know it's not too late to make things right. I guarantee that if you get on that plane and fly to Paris with him, he'll make you the happiest man in the whole fucking world." 

The younger Ackerman stayed silent, simply watching Levi as he warred with himself. He could tell that this was obviously tearing him apart inside. From the way that he hung his head and frowned down at the tile underneath his feet, to the way he gripped the edges of the sink so tightly that Jean could see the white of his knuckles show. When he didn't answer Levi, the man started getting desperate. 

"Please, Jean. Go with him." he said in almost a whisper. "I don't want him to have to leave on that plane alone." 

The pure emotion in Levi's voice as he practically begged Jean to do this last thing for him, made even Jean's heart ache for his brother's sake. He looked down at his own shoes and nodded at nothing in particular. 

"Alright," he whispered back. "I'll go." 

He heard the older man release a sigh of relief at his answer, and Jean couldn't bare to see his brother looking so unhappy any longer. He turned and started walking toward Levi's office doors to take his leave, but just as he got to them, he turned and looked back at Levi again. 

"You know, it's the funniest thing." 

"What is?" Levi asked from the doorway of the bathroom. 

"Levi Ackerman, the man who doesn't burn, doesn't scorch, doesn't melt, suddenly throws a billion dollar deal out the window." The younger man shook his head with a chuckle. "Are you sure _you_ don't wanna go with him to Paris?" 

"Why the hell should I wanna go with him?" the older of the two asked cautiously. 

"Because," Jean smirked just as he opened the door to walk out. "You're in love with him." 

As Jean left a speechless Levi in his office, he stopped by Hanji's desk and beamed at them. 

"Hanji, I want to see you in my office right away." he said, just before zipping off toward the elevators. 

"Gotcha, Jean-boy!" they smiled back widely.

Jean was not about to let his older brother leave things with Eren like this. For once in his life, Jean was going to finish something. Even if that something wasn't necessarily for his sake, but someone else's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is probably going to be the final one! Ah, I'm excited to get this fic out of the way. Especially since I've wanted to write this one since last year! But alas! All good things must end, and I have a bunch of other projects I'd like to finish and get started before the New Year!
> 
> Jean finally redeems himself, so, I hope all my readers are happy with this conclusion. Jean just gets better and better as this story goes on and that's what I love about it.


	13. All the Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **All the Way - Frank Sinatra**

Grisha drove Eren to the airport that Thursday morning. His beloved son had been silent most of the car ride, and he didn't want to part with Eren for who knew how long without some form of comfort. But Grisha Jaeger was never very good at comforting Eren when it came to matters of the heart. Still, he wanted to try his best. 

"Would it be a bother for you if I cry at the airport, son?" 

Eren smiled and placed a gentle hand on his father's that was placed on the shifting gear. 

"Of course not, Dad. Although, if you do cry then I'll probably cry too." 

Grisha sighed, feeling his emotions already starting to well up. 

"Oh, Eren. I'd feel so much better if only you'd be angry with me for letting all this... nonsense happen. I knew about Levi's intentions for awhile now but at the time I didn't think that..." 

The younger man squeezed his father's hand in hopes of reassuring him. The last thing he needed was his father beating himself up for his own foolishness. 

"Dad, stop. None of this was your fault. It's all mine. I didn't listen to you when you tried to warn me about all this before." Eren sighed while looking out his window. "You right about everything. There's a front seat and a back seat. And a window in between." 

Suddenly, hearing that motto coming from the mouth of his own son made Grisha realize just how silly it was. 

"You know, When your mother and I first came here, we had no expenses. She was a cook and I was a simple Chauffeur. Then after a few years, we had $15,000. You were only a babe at the time. I was still driving Mr. Ackerman, senior, back then... and he never closed the window between us." 

"What are you trying to say, Dad?" Eren asked warily. 

"What I'm saying is, Mr. Ackerman transacted most of his business on the daily commute, and I paid close attention. When he bought, I bought. When he sold, I sold." 

The brunet smirked at his father, "Don't tell me you're secretly a millionaire or something?" 

"No," Grisha smiled back. "Try multi-millionaire." 

The smirk on Eren's face dropped and Grisha's only widened as he kept his eyes on the road. The look of pure shock and confusion on Eren's face was too much for him to handle. 

"Dad!" Eren exclaimed. "If that's true then why are you still working for the Ackermans!? Why don't you retire on some island in the Bahamas?" 

His father only shook his head, "You're mother and I were happy here, Eren. We always said that if we ever came into money that we'd use it all to help you achieve your dream, whatever it may have been. Looks like your mother was right, as usual. She always said you would exceed my expectations." 

"Oh, my god." the younger man laughed, tears forming in his eyes as he leaned over and hugged his father as best he could while he was driving. 

"And another good thing that came out of this whole disaster is, at least you got over Jean." 

Reminded of the dose of reality Eren had recently made the brunet immediately revert back to his solemn staring out the passenger's side window. One step forward and two steps back, it seemed. 

"Yeah, I guess I'm cured." he mumbled quietly. "Now, how do I get over the cure?"

\- -

Jean had been busy making phone calls all that morning since leaving Levi's office. He knew Levi would probably be royally pissed at him for doing this behind his back, but if there was one thing Jean Ackerman was good at, it was disappointing people. And he would be all too pleased with himself to disappoint his brother in this particular situation. Hanji had been in and out of his office, helping him get in touch with the people he needed to get in touch with all too happily.

He didn't even notice when Marco quietly let himself into his office with a shy smile on his face. Upon seeing his intended, Jean couldn't help but beam brightly at his soon-to-be-husband and motion for him to come in and sit down as he hurriedly finished up a phone call with Levi's Lawyer's. 

"Hi," he breathed out, still grinning from ear to ear. 

"Hi," Marco greeted back with a little laugh. "So, what's the emergency? I got here as quickly as I could after you called." 

"Right," Jean sighed, feeling a little nervous as he stood up from his seat and rounded his desk. "Babe, sit down. I need to tell you a little story." 

Marco nodded his head before he took a seat in one of the chairs situated in front of Jean's desk. Jean leaned against the front of it, folding his arms over his chest and crossing his ankles together as he let Marco get comfortable. 

"Remember the other morning when Levi was visiting me in my room and he mentioned how he went to have lunch with an old friend of ours?" 

"Oh, are you talking about Eren?" Marco asked, suddenly looking very excited. "I actually met him the day before yesterday and I thought he was fantastic." 

"Not as fantastic as you are, sweetheart." The younger Ackerman couldn't help but wink at his Fiance who in turn blushed a lovely shade of red. "Then that makes this story easier to tell now that you've met Eren personally. So, here's the thing I need you help with." Marco listened eagerly and Jean unfolded his arms and reached out to hold one of Marco's hands. "I'm pretty damn sure my brother Levi is head-over-heels for Eren but, he did something bad to mess it up." 

The raven's eyes went a little wide and his mouth dropped open just a little and Jean nodded his head in agreement. He had the same reaction when he'd learned what Levi had done to Eren and Jean continued to explain everything that happened. When all was said and done and Jean had finally come clean and confessed everything to his Fiance, he was surprised to see that Marco wasn't angry but was thoroughly amused. 

"If I'm being honest, I might have been just a little worried when I first saw Eren and how attractive he was. I don't blame you for getting cold feet and wanting to run off with him because anybody else would have done it probably. I'm glad you didn't, though." 

"Me too." Jean laughed. "I've finally realized that you're all I needed." 

"But, you know, after I sat down and talked to Eren for awhile, any doubts or worries I had about him threatening my relationship with you were gone. He was so obviously in love with someone else, and that someone else was so obviously Levi." 

"Ugh, right? They're both totally besotted with each other and yet Levi's too stubborn to admit it and too scared to do anything about it, it's driving me nuts!"

"So," Marco grinned, gripping Jean's hand back tightly in excitement. "What's the plan? I'll do anything you need me to do to help." 

Jean just had to stare at Marco for a long moment as he felt his heart swell. He couldn't believe he was about to marry this man and spend the rest of his life with him. Marco was just the absolute best. No longer able to resist himself, Jean surged forward and kissed his Fiance passionately before he pulled back and smiled widely. 

"We're gonna get Levi on a plane to Paris and I know exactly how we're going to do it."

\- -

Levi stood in front of the picture window in his office, staring out toward JFK airport and watching as Eren's plane to France finally took flight. It was hard to believe that Eren was on that plane that looked like nothing more than a tiny little dot with wings in the distance. He could still feel the sensation of Eren's lips on his own, even now as he watched that plane eventually disappear. He told himself this was for the best. Eren could finally be happy.

Hanji then entered his office, followed by several men and women in business suits and carrying briefcases and Levi internally scoffed at the sight. This must have been how Eren saw him. All stuffy and boring sporting an intense frown. Funny how the idea of being that stuffy, boring businessman didn't sit well with him anymore.

"What's the meaning of this Emergency meeting, Ackerman." Mr. Bodt asked as he entered shortly after all the Lawyers had. 

Mr. Bodt was a tall man with raven black hair streaked with grey and a thick mustache. His eyes were a intense dark brown, lacking the warmth that Marco seemed to carry in his own brown eyes. 

"Have a seat, Mr. Bodt, and you'll know shortly." Levi instructed firmly, not wanting to deal with anyone's bullshit today of all days. His mood couldn't possibly be any fouler. 

"Well, what are we waiting for?" 

"I said, have a seat, Bodt." 

Mr. Bodt looked slightly appalled at having been ordered to do something but he didn't seem to want to challenge Levi's glare either. Good. Now Levi could finally start this damn Board meeting. Hanji got everyone situated with everything they needed, coffees all around, with the exception of Levi who stayed standing at the head of the Conference table in the middle of his spacious office. When his assistant finally shut the door to this office and nodded at him to go ahead and start, Levi nodded back and began to address the people in the room. 

"Ladies, Gentlemen, Mr. Bodt. We've known each other for a long time. Bodt, You and I have played hardball on occasion, but I'd like to think we both have a healthy respect for one another." He paused, looking over and Marco's father who nodded a bit reluctantly. "We saw the potential of this merger and I don't think anybody doubts it would have been an enormously successful venture." 

"Excuse me," Mr. Bodt scoffed, sounding a bit outraged. "Would have been?! What is the meaning of all this nonsense? Do we have a deal on this merger or don't we, Ackerman?" 

"I'll get to that in a minute, Bodt." Levi snapped, effectively shutting Bodt up. "The reason I called you in here today is to inform you that, at this very moment in time, my brother, Jean--" 

"Is late, as usual." Jean's voice suddenly cut in as he came barging into Levi's office, hand in hand with none other than Marco Bodt. 

Levi immediately scowled upon seeing his younger brother going around the conference table apologizing to all the Lawyers and shaking Mr. Bodt's hand with plenty of vigor. 

"Jean," he growled quietly. "What the _hell_ are you doing here?" 

"Oh, well, great news actually." Jean grinned at his older brother. "Marco and I have decided to elope!" 

A flabbergasted splutter came from Mr. Bodt as he turned and looked at his son for confirmation. Marco smiled sheepishly but nodded his head in agreement. Levi stared at his younger brother and his Fiance in slight disbelief before he turned back toward his window and then looked back at Jean. 

"Where's Eren? Why aren't you on the plane with him? Why are you _here_?" 

"One question at a time, bro." Jean chuckled. 

"You didn't go with him?" Levi asked slowly, getting angrier and angrier but doing his best to keep his composure. 

"Who's Eren?" Mr. Bodt asked, staring between Jean and Levi in confusion. 

"Well, obviously not, Levi. I mean, here I am, right?" the younger Ackerman scoffed as he sauntered up to Levi and started dusting off the shoulders of his older brother's suit jacket. "He's probably on that plane having his beverage service right about now." 

"He's all alone..." Levi murmured under his breath as he looked out his window once more. 

"Not according to this afternoon's news paper." Jean sang. "It says here that _"Levi Ackerman"_ \-- that's you, isn't it?-- _"and Eren Jaeger"_ \-- that's him, isn't it?-- _"have quietly reserved two first class seats on a plane to Paris, France._ "

Levi snatched the news paper Jean had in his hands and started reading the article to himself verbatim. He glared up at his younger brother who was still grinning from ear to ear like some kind of simpleton. 

"You planted this." Levi accused quietly. 

"Who? Me?" Jean said, playing the innocent card perfectly. He was always a much better actor than Levi was. "Why, I thought it was common knowledge about you and Eren."

In a fit of rage, Levi slapped the newspaper down on the table and walked back toward his desk. 

"Will somebody please tell me who in god's name is Eren!?" Mr. Bodt yelled in frustrations. 

"Oh, Eren?" Jean asked, turning to his future Father-in-Law and smirking. "He's just our Chauffeur's son." 

"That's enough, Jean." Levi warned in a dangerous tone.

Jean's smirk grew even bigger, "Now, how about that ladies and gentlemen. Levi Ackerman, wizard of finance, man of distinction, chairman of the board of Ackerman Industries getting mixed up with his Chauffeur's son." 

"Don't you fucking call him that..." 

Jean could see the way Levi's breathing turned heavy as his rage began to boil. This was just the reaction he had been hoping to get out of him. This only proved his theory correct; Levi was hopelessly in love with Eren. Jean glanced over at Marco, giving him a subtle nod. Smiling, Marco nodded back. They just needed to give Levi one final push. 

"Jean told me Eren went after him for awhile, then apparently he switched to Levi. I guess he figured out that Levi had more money." 

Levi was absolutely outraged at Marco's words. Every little thing Jean and Marco were saying was just incensing him more and more and he wasn't sure he could push his anger down any longer. He scowled at his younger brother who walked around the room until he was standing at the head of the conference table. Anyone with eyes could see the way Levi clenched his teeth, flexing the muscle in his jaw. 

"We all know about those kinds of people, don't we?" Jean continued, "Gold diggers. Believe me, Eren's no different from the rest of them." 

"I said, that's _enough_ , Jean." Levi finally got a hold on his anger. Just enough to prevent him from murdering someone. "You didn't see Eren before he left? Didn't you at least talk to him?" 

"Well, yeah." Jean chuckled with a shrug of his shoulder. "I said good-bye and I think I wished him luck. Maybe not. I told him I don't accept my brother's hand-me-downs." 

Levi saw red after that. He had slowly been inching his way closing and closer to Jean until he was just close enough to him to punch him right in the nose. The room was then filled with dramatic gasps and outraged yells, and Jean went tumbling to the ground where Marco rushed to his side. Levi was just a little annoyed to see that he hadn't hit Jean hard enough to make him bleed and instead, his younger brother was grinning widely while holding his jaw. 

"I was right!" Jean gave a pained laugh. "You _are_ in love with him! I was just helping you make up your mind." 

"Oh, Jean!" Marco scolded. "Stop talking already." 

Ignoring Marco's chiding, Jean turned to look at a grinning Hanji. 

"Is he all packed, Hanji?" 

"You bet, Jean-boy." 

Levi stared at both his younger brother and his assistant, still not fully registering what just happened. Then, a smile slowly started forming on his face until he let out a quiet snort of laughter. 

"What are you waiting for?" Jean asked, groaning a bit from the pain in his jaw. "There's a police escort downstairs and a jet on stand by. Oh! But first, sign this paper, would ya? It's your authorization for the merger." 

Levi approached the conference table and took the papers Jean had in his other hands. Marco handed him a pen with a big smile and Levi only shook his head as he laid the paper flat on the tabletop and signed his signature at the bottom. 

"Oh, and this one too. It gives me the raise I deserve for the new position I'm assuming." His younger brother slid another paper onto the table top and Levi rolled his eyes but signed it anyway. Once everything was signed, Jean jumped up from the floor and slapped his older brother across his back causing Levi to stumble forward a step. "Better get going, loverboy! Your plane leaves in exactly forty minutes and if you make it in time, you just might beat Eren to Paris." 

Levi looked around at all the faces in his office. Most were still a bit confused but seemed to be smiling, as was Hanji who was standing by his office doors holding one suitcase of what was no doubt his clothes and everything he'd need for the trip. 

"Go, Levi! Don't think about it." Marco urged with a smile of his own. 

Clearing his throat, Levi adjusted his tie and straightened his posture. There was a small pool of dread in his stomach as he thought about how much Eren probably won't want to see him after everything that happened yesterday. 

"He must absolutely hate me." he mumbled out loud to himself. 

"Oh, I don't know about that, oh, brother of mine." Jean chirped. 

"This is crazy," Levi grunted, running a hand through his hair. "You expect me to just drop everything and walk out of here?" 

"No," Hanji chimed in next. "Running would probably be better." 

"You're all fucking insane..." he eventually sighed, but that smile was quickly making its way back to his face as he started toward his office doors. "But, if you'll all excuse me. It appears I have a previous engagement." 

Hanji handed him his plane ticket and the single suitcase before they pulled Levi into a bone crushing hug. He sucked his teeth a bit in annoyance but hugged them back before they let him go and then Levi was taking off into a sprint out of his office and toward the elevators. 

Once Levi was gone, Jean stopped cradling his jaw and Marco took his place back at his father's side as Jean took up Levi's previous spot at the head of the conference table. Now, the real work began. 

"Okay, Mr. Bodt, let's get down to business. The debt burden this merger will accumulate will make is essential to restructure a couple of divisions that are generating cash drains." The younger Ackerman went around the conference table handing print-outs of graphs and a review of last quarter's performance of each division of both companies. 

Marco looked up at Jean with pride and love in his eyes and Jean smiled back sheepishly. Apparently, Marco's father was just as surprised as everyone else in the room as he looked over Jean's handiwork. 

"Jean, when did you become such a savvy businessman?" Mr. Bodt asked, sounding pleased. 

"I've copied the financial statements of this company for ten years. Levi just assumed I couldn't understand them." Jean clapped his hands together and continued business as usual.

\- -

Meanwhile, Levi was stuck in traffic at the worst possible time. He sat in the back of his Rolls-Royce, anxiously bouncing his knee up and down. Of course, Grisha Jaeger was sitting in the driver's seat, staring him down in the rearview mirror. Finally, Levi couldn't take anymore of the staring.

"Go ahead," he said, meeting Grisha's eyes determinedly. "Let me have it. I can take it." 

The older man sighed heavily as he tore his eyes away from Levi's in the mirror. His gloved hands flexed around the steering wheel and he stayed quiet for a while, not giving Levi any kind of answer. 

"You don't deserve him, you know." Grisha finally said. 

Levi could only nod in agreement, "I know that better than anyone." He fell silent for a moment as well, before he dared to meet Grisha's eyes in the mirror once more. "But whether or not I do or don't deserve him... I _need_ him." 

Grisha smiled at the firm and confident tone in Levi's voice. Then, he turned the car off and turned in his seat to look back at the oldest Ackerman. 

"Well, then. Time to run for it, sir." 

Levi breathed in slowly as he realized that this was as close to Grisha's blessing as he was going to get, and it was all he needed. 

"I just want to make him happy. Always." Levi unbuckled his belt and grabbed his things before he started getting out of the car and right into frozen traffic. When he slammed the door shut, Grisha called out to him once more and Levi stopped to look back at his former Chauffeur who had also gotten out of the car. He stared at Levi from over the car's rooftop and grinned from ear to ear. 

"13 rue des Beaux Arts."

Levi didn't need to hear anymore. He had all the information he needed. Then, he was running down the busy streets of Manhattan as fast as his legs would carry him. He was going to Paris and he was going to do everything in his power to make Eren the happiest man in the world. Even if it killed him. 

[(X)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmFaNuT-20g)

Levi arrived at the airport just in the nick of time. The woman over the PA was just announcing the last call for the plane for Paris as Levi got to the ticket gate, sweaty and out of breath. He had loosened his tie and eventually just tossed it aside at some point, popping the first few buttons of his shirt open so that he could breath easier. The woman checking his ticket noticed his haggard state and smiled warmly at him. 

"First time on a plane, Mr. Ackerman?" Her french accent was slight but very pleasant. 

"Yes." he grunted out as he fanned himself a bit. 

"But not your first time in Paris?" 

Levi didn't want to seem rude but he was really in a big hurry and he honestly didn't have time to chit-chat. 

"It's my first everything." he said, snatching the ticket from the girl at the gate and rushing down the terminal. 

The plane ride felt like an eternity, and Levi had thought about turning tail and hopping on the first flight back to New York as soon as he landed in Paris but he knew he'd regret it for the rest of his life he did. No matter how badly this all went, he just had to make things right with Eren. Even if it meant the brunet still despised him in the end. 

Six to eight hours later, Levi had finally landed in Paris, France and he got into the town car that had already been arranged to meet him at the airport. He gave his new Chauffeur the address Grisha had given to him earlier, and in no time, Levi was parked outside a quaint old building with white french doors on every terrace and balcony. The cobblestone streets were slightly damp, and Levi smiled to himself as he got out of the car and inhaled the sweet scent of Paris after it rains. 

It was nighttime now, and despite his tired body, Levi had resolved to wait outside this building until Eren arrived because there was no way he would put this thing off until tomorrow. Jet lag be damned. 

" _Monsieur?_ " Levi's Chauffeur called from inside the car. " _Tu t'en sors ?_ " ( _"Doing okay there?/Managing okay?"_ )

Levi bent down a bit to look back into the window of the town car, " _Oui, merci._ " 

The driver smiled at him, " _Est-ce que je peux vous aider?_ " ( _"Can I help you?"_ )

Levi was about to say no when he suddenly remembered that he could probably do with a nice cup of coffee, maybe. Not exactly his favorite choice of drink but considering he didn't know how long he was going to have to wait, he'd probably need it. 

" _Oui._ "

" _De quoi avez-vous besoin?_ " ( _"What do you need?"_ )

The older man had to hesitate and think back to his french lessons for a brief second or two. It had been awhile since he fluently had to speak french and he found that he was a bit rusty.

" _Je voudrais du café._ " ( _"I would like coffee."_ ) he said slowly, a little unsure if he said that correctly or not. Judging by his driver's positive reaction, he got the gist of it, anyway. 

" _Ah! Il y a un petit café pas loin de ici …ça te dit?"_ ( _"There is a small coffee shop not far from here... sound good?"_ *probably not entirely accurate. I'm told this has a lot of slang?)

Levi nodded his head and stepped away from the car as his driver started it up and drove off into the night. He moved to standing on the sidewalk, leaning up against a wall with nothing but a lone street lamp and the pale moonlight to light his way. He waited a few more minutes, wishing he hadn't been so damn nervous on the plane ride over here because he didn't get a wink of sleep the entire time. He wished Eren would hurry up and get here so he could get slapped and yelled again and then go slip into a coma for some well deserved rest. Alright, so maybe Levi was being a bit morbid now. He was just so tired but he was determined to wait no matter how long it took. 

His driver returned not long after and handed him the piping hot drink in a paper cup and Levi drank it gratefully. Well, at least it was a damn good cup of coffee. Maybe he was just so used to the crappy cups of Coffee back in New York that drinking French Roast was like a blessing from the heavens. Then, Levi realized that probably wasn't it. The french just knew how to do everything better than Americans and that included a simple cup of coffee. 

Finally, after what felt like hours standing outside Eren's new apartment, a taxi pulled up to one side of the curb and a familiar brunet stepped out as he chatted casually with the driver. He tipped the man, smiled and wished him a goodnight in french before he got his bags out from the trunk and carried them to the stoop of his new home. Levi decided that it was now or never. 

"Someone once said that 'Paris is always a good idea,'" 

Eren startled, nearly dropping his keys as he whipped around to see if he was possibly being mugged or something. The only thing he did see, however, was a very tired looking Levi standing on the other side of the street carrying a single suitcase and wearing the same suit he'd seen him wearing yesterday. Eren gulped loudly, but seemed to lose his voice.

"You said I'd be happy here." Levi continued, stepping out into the street and crossing until he was just a few feet away from the brunet who was standing on the edge of the curb. "But, the thing is... there's no way I could ever be happy anywhere... without you by my side." 

The brunet finally seemed to find his voice again but it didn't come out as firm or as angry as he'd hoped it would. He was supposed to hate Levi, wasn't he? So, he couldn't understand why just seeing the man standing there was making his heart skip a beat and his palms sweaty.

"W-Wha... How did you know where to find me?" he asked, hating how nervous he sounded. 

Levi gave a tired smile, "Your father told me." Then he took another step toward Eren who couldn't bring himself to just turn his back on Levi and slam the door in his face. "I told him I needed you, Eren." 

Levi kept stepping closer and closer to Eren until he was toe to toe with the brunet who looked a little bit like a fish out of water. His mouth kept opening and closing and he kept trying his hardest to say something, _anything!_ But the best he could manage was a shuddered breath, because he'd be lying if he said he wanted to do anything other than kiss the hell out of Levi just for being there and saying such cheesy, romantic things.

"I promised him I'd make you happy." Levi murmured in a low voice that sent shivers down Eren's spine. 

Eren was staring down into Levi's eyes and Levi was doing the same. Before Eren could get lost in those endless pools of molten silver, he had to remind himself that Levi had put him through hell just a few hours ago and he was still trying to recover from that. 

"But, you told me it was all a lie. That you only did this because you wanted me out of the way." he whispered, feeling another painful lump forming in his throat. "You really hurt me, Levi." 

"Eren, I..." Levi didn't seem to know where to begin. An apology just didn't seem like it would be enough, and by the way Eren's eyes started to glass over with forming tears, all he could do was try his best to express what he felt about him. "I tried to convince myself that it was all a lie. That everything I was feeling while I was with you was just a result of the act I had to put on but I was wrong." 

Shaking his head, Eren swallowed thickly. "I don't know if I can believe you." he hated the way his voice broke because he was trying so damn _hard_ to keep it all together. "How can I-- how can I ever trust you again?" he breathed, choking down a sob. 

Then, Levi was grabbing him by both of his arms and pulling him just that little bit closer to him until their faces were mere inches apart. He could feel Levi's warm breath fanning across his cheeks as the man stared at every inch of his face, taking it all in. 

"Because," he whispered in a low breath. "Because you know me better than anyone else, Eren." 

Eren shook his head again, a sob racking his body this time and he hated what Levi was doing to him. How he thought he could just come back into his life after hurting him so badly the night before, and how he still had such an affect on him, even though Eren should despise him more than anyone. But all he wanted to do was kiss this man and hold him in his arms and never let him go because-- because Levi was here and this was real. 

"I thought I knew you." Eren whispered back, their noses brushing and breath mingling. 

Levi closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against Eren's, "... I've been walking a path set for me since the day I was born. I did everything in my power to live up to what's been expected of me and I've sacrificed so much, but I finally found something I can't sacrifice." Levi opened his eyes again and stared back into Eren's searching ones. Then, he smiled softly. "You _know_ me, Eren... and I know you know I love you." 

Eren felt Levi's hands gently cradle his cheek as the man brushed their lips together softly. The brunet closed his eyes and just let Levi's scent and warmth envelope him. They both danced across each other's lips, not quiet touching but subtly brushing and breathing each other's air. 

"Save me, Eren." Levi whispered so quietly against his lips. "You're the only one who can." 

That was all Eren needed to hear before he was giving in, finally gripping Levi's body to his own tightly and crashing their lips together in fierce desperation. He felt a few tears slip down his cheek as he kissed Levi like he'd never kissed him before, but Levi was quick to wipe those tears away with his thumbs. It was as if everything in the world was finally falling into place, and Eren and Levi were _meant_ to be standing there on a wet street in Paris, France under the pale moonlight, holding each other like they'd die if they ever separated.

\- -

_Once upon a time, on the north shore of Long Island, not far from New York, there was a very, very large mansion. Almost a castle. And on this very large estate, there lived a small boy, and life was pleasant there, and very, very simple... But then one day the boy grew up and went beyond the walls of the grounds... and he found the world._

\- -

  
_'♪ When somebody loves you_  
It's no good unless he loves you all the way  
Happy to be near you  
When you need someone to cheer you all the way 

_Taller than the tallest tree is_  
That's how it's got to feel  
Deeper than the deep blue sea is  
That's how deep it goes if it's real 

_When somebody needs you_  
It's no good unless he needs you all the way  
Through the good or lean years  
And for all the in-between years come what may 

_Who knows where the road will lead us_  
Only a fool would say  
But if you'll let me love you  
It's for sure I'm gonna love you all the way all ♪'   


\- -

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sat at my laptop for four and a half hours straight writing this chapter, lol. Might be some mistakes here and there but I posted this without proof-reading much because I wanted to complete this thing ASAP! 
> 
> I want to thank you guys for joining me on yet another fantastic Ereri journey! Seems like only a few short days ago that I started this fic but it's been like a MONTH! This fic is very close to my heart because it's based off of a movie that's very close to my heart and I hope I was able to do it justice! 
> 
> For those of you who've seen either Sabrina movies (1954 or 1995 version), I hope this was enjoyable and I hope my interpretation of the movie was okay enough to satisfy you! 
> 
> For those of you who haven't seen it, I hope you enjoyed it anyway! And I highly suggest watching the movie Sabrina as the fic is very heavily based off of it! 
> 
> Either way, thanks again to everyone who read and supported this fic! Feel free to share it, re-read it, cry about it to me in the comments! I also just wanna let you guys know that I'm going to be starting a new Fem!Ereri fic called **I'll Take Care Of You (If You Ask Me To)** and it'll probably be up around Christmas or New Year's! It's a Modern Setting Neighbor's AU, similar to Leave Your Lover but of course, different in it's own right! I hope some of you will join me for another fun Ereri-filled ride! MERRY CHRISTMAS (Levimas) AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS, GUYS!


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